Career Services created a leadership program to connect current students with OCU alumni.
Kanika Brown, director of career services, is one of the leaders of the Alumni Mentor Program, which is a collaboration between the offices of Alumni Engagement and Career Services. The Alumni Mentor Program had its first reception Sept. 5 and has since begun working to connect OCU’s past and present students. The AMP is open to current juniors and seniors and opens in the spring/summer via an online application, followed by selection.
“Once selected, students will be matched with an alumni mentor with similar interest and background. The mentor and student will meet throughout the academic year and spend that time getting to know each other and learning about goals and life,” Brown wrote in an email.
Lauren Snare, finance and economics junior, is one of the students participating in the program this year.
“The curriculum is based on building a lasting mentorship and improving the students’ networking abilities, interviewing skills and skill set,” Snare wrote in an email.
Snare wrote that she values the program for giving her a space to share and learn from with others who have had similar experiences.
“I would say a major benefit of connecting with alumni is being able to learn from the same educational background as you,” Snare wrote. “The alumni understand the emphasis that Oklahoma City University has on education, involvement and compassion.”
Snare wrote that her excitement comes from both the goal-orientated, professional side of the program and the relationship from connecting with an alum.
“I am looking forward to narrowing down my goals and gaining a better understanding of the steps that I need to take to reach my specific goals. I anticipate getting to know my mentor and hopefully building a strong relationship with them,” Snare wrote.
Another student recently selected for the program is Vladia Cortest, accounting junior. She wrote in an email that she felt thankful to experience the sense of community fostered by this program.
“I have always been grateful for the support I have received from OCU, and this is just an addition to that,” Cortest wrote. “I would not be where I am today without the amazing faculty and staff or the opportunities I have been introduced to.”
Cortest wrote that she is open to listening to all her mentor has to share, with the understanding it can help her further her career and life goals.
“I am very excited to get to know my mentor and listen to what he has to say. I know that he has so much wisdom to share, and I would like to do my best to apply it to my life,” she wrote.
The program motivates students to take in all they can from this experience so they can also do the same for someone else in the future, Cortest wrote.
“I can take what I learn with me everywhere I go and try to offer that same support to others,” she wrote.
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