The University hosted “Mentorship Week” from Oct. 21-25, welcoming back to campus almost 100 alumni who participated in question-and-answer sessions and networked with current students throughout the week.

“No matter what your major, no matter what your discipline, no matter what you do in life, it takes investment from others, and Mentorship Week is a way to foster that with our alumni,” said John Miko, Associate Dean in the Shields School of Business and one of the lead organizers of the event.

Last year, the School of Business hosted a Mentorship Day. The 2018 event proved to be very popular with the students and turned out to be a huge success. Because of this, organizers expanded this event to a full week of activities and this year’s program included participation from the Schools of STEAM and Health Sciences.

“We have a lot of alumni that have been very successful that have a strong affinity for our School, and maybe aren’t in a position to give money, but would love the opportunity to donate their time, talent, insights and expertise to our current students,” said Miko. 

The week began with current SFU students mentoring local high school students. On Wednesday, alumni from Biology and History, as well as the Health Sciences, returned to connect with current students. 

“As a senior, Mentorship Day was an awesome experience to help me as I finish my last year of school and prepare to enter the workforce,” said senior Math major and Business Management and Economics minor Erin O’Neill.  

Thursday’s agenda included a Women-in-Leadership Breakfast, followed by Zoology, Marine Education, Technology, Neurology and Engineering sessions. 

Schwab Hall was a hub of activity for former and current students on Friday. The School of Business conducted 25 sessions that included 48 alumni across the various disciplines offered by the School. A luncheon was also held where seniors could interact with the returning Business School alumni. The week of activities concluded with a Meet-A-Mentor Session, where current students interacted with alumni in a one-on-one setting.

“In as many ways as we can get current students with alumni in an informal way, it’s a good way to build connections and expand their social network,” said Miko.