Take a Wildcat to lunch

Weber State University's Alumni Association is offering the "Take a Wildcat to Lunch" mentor program. The program matches WSU students with professionals in the student's intended career field. Students fill out an online application (www.alumni.weber.edu), and the Alumni Association contacts the appropriate professional within two weeks. The professional hosts the student for a meal, and provides job-related guidance. "We have over 300 wonderful, dedicated professionals - both alumni and community members - who are willing and excited to meet with our students," said Margie Esquibel, Associate Director of the Weber State Alumni Association. "The mentors provide them a meal, network, and talk to the students about the pros and cons of their work field." Students can take advantage of the program as often as they like, but are limited to one match per semester. Giving students more than one opportunity to try the program helps them to get different viewpoints in their potential career. "It's an incredible way for the students to get insight for their future career," said Beverly Rudd, Associate Director of the Weber State Alumni Association. "Sometimes the students have illusions about their career and they say they didn't know this or that; the program helps them understand their future career more." The program gives students the opportunity to learn benefits - monetary and non-monetary - that come from the particular career option. Students also get an advantage by learning the particulars of their job field before they even start their career. "I think this program was a real eye-opener," said Peter Owen, a senior majoring in business administration. "I think many students don't understand the daily responsibilities of their career of choice, but this program is an opportunity to find out." Owen registered for the program once, but gained a mentor that has helped him get closer to his career goals in finance. "The individual was amazing in his advice," Owen said. "He told me about the additional education I needed to acquire and we had a few more lunches so he could follow-up on how I felt about my career." The only requirements students need to meet to participate in the program are to have a declared major and a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better. The alumni staff also stresses proper attire for the student stresses proper attire for the student meeting with the professional. The alumni staff prefers the student to dress in business casual attire when meeting with the professional. The staff reminds students filling out an application that many of the mentoring sessions open doors to other opportunities for students, so making a good first impression is important. While both students and mentors volunteer to join the program, some departments such as the Goddard School of Business and Economics require some of their students to take part in the program. "The students have been very pleased with the program," said Patricia Wheeler, Coordinator of Recruitment and Career Development in the School of Business and Economics. "Other than just being a luncheon, that person can truly become a mentor for the student and someone they can continue to call and bounce ideas off of." The pool of available mentors are currently only in Utah, but if a student plans to work in a particular field outside of Utah, the alumni staff may look for mentors outside of their designated list in other states. Also, there are some times a registered mentor doesn't exist for a particular major. That doesn't stop the staff members from looking for one. "We do not hesitate to seek a mentor by calling that particular department on campus and asking for recommendations of their alumni or someone they might know in the community," Esquibel said. "We'll also search in the yellow pages of the phone book and call to find someone who is willing to help support our program and our students." Esquibel mentioned how the program made 200 "matches" last year. She also noted how willing the mentors are to help students get a head start in the career field. "In over five years of working with this program, I have only been turned down a couple of times," Esquibel said. "Most professionals are more than happy to help in any way they can." The Alumni Association also makes it possible for a student to find a mentor through e-mail, similar to the "Take a Wildcat to Lunch" program. Students can select multiple career categories on the alumni Web site. From there, a student can choose from a list of possible mentors that would best fit their career choice and make contact with the mentor through e-mail. Students and mentors can choose to continue to communicate through e-mail, move to telephone communication, or hold personal and group meetings face-to-face.