{"147421":{"#nid":"147421","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Tech Students, Alumni Make Connections with Mentor Jackets","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFour years ago, about 50 students were matched with Tech alumni as part of a mentorship program. Last year, that number grew to 900, and the Student Alumni Association (SAA) hopes more students and Tech alumni \u2014 especially those who are faculty and staff members \u2014 will take advantage of the opportunity to forge these mutually beneficial relationships.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMentor Jackets matches students with Tech alumni for mentoring, networking and building relationships with others in the Tech community.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFor figuring out where I want to work or who I need to meet, it\u2019s been extremely helpful,\u201d said Kristin Watkins, a fourth-year business administration major going into her third year with a mentor. \u201cBefore I was involved, people always told me the Georgia Tech network was so great, but I wasn\u2019t really connected to it and didn\u2019t feel I had an outlet to go to \u2014 that\u2019s what Mentor Jackets does.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMentor Jackets uses an internal software program to match students and alumni based on academic majors, student involvement, areas of expertise, degrees earned, hometowns and other skills and interests. Mentors may be located in Atlanta or anywhere else in the world. The program encourages them to communicate on a regular basis in whatever form works best for them, whether via email, phone or in person.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cStudents really get it and understand that a relationship with an alum can help their career advancement,\u201d said Bill Todd, professor of the practice and executive director of health care initiatives in the Scheller College of Business. \u201cThis is perhaps the most appropriate and meaningful way for an alumnus to get engaged in their alma mater.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMentor Jackets also hosts more structured events throughout the year, such as speed networking, guest speakers and beginning and end-of-year celebrations. Participants can meet other mentors and mentees, enabling mentees to practice skills they\u2019re honing and mentors to meet fellow alumni and find new ways to get involved.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cRecruiting top students is macro \u2014 it\u2019s big picture. What I really enjoy about the mentorship program is it\u2019s so micro \u2014 it\u2019s one person, and you can really see the results reflected in an individual,\u201d Todd said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWatkins hopes to be on the other side of the mentor-mentee relationship when she becomes an alumna next spring.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s been a great experience. It\u2019s nice to actually get some exposure to people who have made it through Tech and gone through the same thing that you have.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo participate, students must be members of SAA, which they can join for $10 a year. The $10 registration provides year-round programming focused on career development, networking and becoming engaged alumni. Dues are split between the Student Foundation and SAA\u2019s Gift to Tech, which means all funds are channeled toward student endeavors.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStudents or faculty and staff who are also Tech alumni can get involved at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/gtmentorjackets.com\u0022\u003Egtmentorjackets.com\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFaculty and staff who are Tech alumni, as well as current students, are invited to participate.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Faculty and staff who are Tech alumni, as well as current students, are invited to participate."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2012-08-20 09:04:05","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:40","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-08-20T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-08-20T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"147431":{"id":"147431","type":"image","title":"Mentor Jackets Speed Networking","body":null,"created":"1449178763","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:39:23","changed":"1475894782","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:22","alt":"Mentor Jackets Speed Networking","file":{"fid":"195120","name":"speednetworking-064-1727623751-o.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/speednetworking-064-1727623751-o_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/speednetworking-064-1727623751-o_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1081704,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/speednetworking-064-1727623751-o_0.jpg?itok=blca9GjX"}}},"media_ids":["147431"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/gtmentorjackets.com\/","title":"Mentor Jackets"},{"url":"http:\/\/gtsaa.com\/","title":"GT Student Alumni Association"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"506","name":"alumni"},{"id":"596","name":"Alumni Association"},{"id":"8985","name":"Bill Todd"},{"id":"5325","name":"Georgia Tech Alumni Association"},{"id":"40901","name":"kristin watkins"},{"id":"40891","name":"mentor jackets"},{"id":"4372","name":"mentoring"},{"id":"167018","name":"staff"},{"id":"167058","name":"Student"},{"id":"167406","name":"Student Alumni Association"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:darbyf@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EDarby Frizzell\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EPrograms Manager\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorgia Tech Alumni Association\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kristen.bailey@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKristen Bailey\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ECommunications Officer\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}