Students and Alums Swap Stories at Luncheon
The first CSBS Mentor Luncheon was held on November 19, where over 25 students had the opportunity to sit down and have lunch with a mentor.
Our featured mentors were:
- Jeff Scott –President of Scott Intermountain Cos
- B.A. in political science and a minor in economics
- Sean Meegan – Intermountain Healthcare Senior Research Associate
- M.S. and Ph.D. in psychology
- Brian Haslam – President of Cityworks
- B.S. and an M.S. in geography
- Chris Gamvroulas – President of Ivory Home Development
- B.S. in political science
- Olga de la Cruz – President of de la Cruz Associates
- B.S. in sociology and an MPA
- Polly Wiessner – Professor of Anthropology; Co-Director of Health, Society and Policy
- B.A. from Sarah Lawrence and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor
This was a perfect opportunity for students to connect with alumni from the various
departments of the college and learn more about their options post-graduation, what
they can do with their careers, and what jobs are out there. Senior Natalie Blanton
adds, "I loved asking the mentors about their experiences with the "burn out"--the
point in your research, studies, or greater career that you just cannot continue to
care. The passion and excitement are gone, and it feels more like a chore. It was
comforting to hear that it is ok to feel overwhelmed, to feel burned out, and to feel
lost. It is important to take the time to travel and revel in those thoughts and feelings
before re-centering and grounding yourself in moving forward. I'm grateful for the
mentors that took the time to speak truth and relay their advice."
The luncheon was also a chance for mentors to reconnect with and get to know some of the students who are working towards getting their degrees. Psychology alum Sean Meegan believes that taking part in the mentoring program can have a significant impact on student success outside of the university. He explains, "It creates a great personal connection with students you might never have the opportunity to help otherwise. It's great to make a difference in the lives of your own students, but that is such a small segment of the student population. We can reach out, even across disciplines to a wider range of students and illustrate the wide array of how we took our degrees and assembled a career."
With today's job market, mentoring has become more important for students looking to start their careers. Meegan states, "It provides students with concrete models of what their futures might look like, with all the bells and whistles they have heard about, but also all the blisters, bumps, bruises, and overall complexity that life and career development brings. Too often, students look at their degrees as an end point and don't recognize that the degree is just a bag of tricks that they will carry forward into the world. Mentoring helps students utilize some of those implicit tricks they learned along the way and put them toward that concrete model of what their futures might hold."
For those students who would like to get connected with mentors, please look for an email about the next luncheon on March 25.