The Eberly Mentoring Program: Connecting alumni and students

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I think nearly all Penn State alumni would agree that our alma matter is a fantastic institution, with seemingly endless opportunities to learn and develop skills necessary for life after higher education. But it is also a very large school. Some students find the sheer size of the place overwhelming and have a difficult time adjusting. Other students settle in and excel in their coursework but wrestle with what to do after graduation. The Mentoring Program is a key resource in ensuring the success of Eberly College of Science students.

The Mentoring Program, which is overseen by the Eberly College of Science Alumni Society Board, was established in 2008 to provide students with access to the collective wisdom of the college’s alumni. This program does not replace advising provided by the college’s faculty or its Advising Office, but rather complements it. As individuals and as a group, the college’s alumni possess a wealth of experience on career paths and professional opportunities that is an invaluable source of guidance for students in the college.

I first became involved in the Mentoring Program when I joined the Alumni Society Board in 2014. My own career has followed a relatively linear path. After leaving Penn State, I went to graduate school and received a doctorate in molecular and cell biology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. I’ve spent the nearly 30 years since graduate school as a researcher at the National Institutes of Health, where I currently run a laboratory focused on HIV and serve as director of the HIV Dynamics and Replication Program of the National Cancer Institute. What has struck me about my fellow Alumni Society Board members is that while they have all enjoyed highly successful careers, their professional trajectories in many cases have taken numerous unanticipated twists and turns. Most of these alumni would never have predicted or even imagined where they would eventually end up when they left Penn State. This common phenomenon illustrates the wide diversity of career paths and opportunities that exists for graduating students. Alumni mentors can instill in their protégés the sense that it’s OK to not know exactly what they want to do after graduation.

To both students and alumni, being involved in a mentoring relationship can seem like too much of a responsibility or commitment. In reality, this relationship can be whatever the two parties would like it to be. Mentor and mentee decide up front how they would like to interact: text messaging, email, phone, Skype, or (post-COVID) an occasional cup of coffee. The mentor can offer advice about next steps: grad school, med school, entering the job market immediately after graduation, etc. Perhaps just as importantly, the mentor can simply be there to provide support for the student during what is often a stressful time. In return, the mentor benefits by staying connected with the Eberly College of Science and develops a friendship that can last long after the student graduates. This has certainly been my experience. My first mentee was a highly successful student who graduated five years ago, is now employed in the pharmaceutical sector, and recently joined the Alumni Society Board. We now interact as professional colleagues and friends rather than as mentor and mentee.

In closing, I urge all Eberly College of Science students and alumni to take the initiative and join the Mentoring Program. The benefits of this program for both alumni and students are numerous, long lasting, and profound.

For information on the Eberly College of Science Mentoring Program, please visit science.psu.edu/alumni-and-development/involvement/alumni-mentor.