The Mentor Collective Program in the School of Engineering provides one-on-one mentoring for every year of a student's undergraduate experience at Santa Clara University! First-years are linked with upper-division student mentors while sophomores, juniors, and seniors are linked with recent alumnae/i mentors to help support students through their experiences on campus and in their career exploration and preparation.
Through the Mentor Collective, students are paired with someone invested in their success — a mentor ready to listen, inspire, help navigate challenges and recognize opportunities. Students will learn what to expect in school, how to approach challenges, gain career advice, and valuable insights, while mentors will build their networks and develop skills to become better professionals and leaders.
What can I look forward to in this program?
How it Works
First-year engineering students are sent an invitation to participate in the program during the months leading up to their first quarter at SCU. Upon signing up for the program, students will be matched with an upper-division engineering student mentor based on common interests, background, academics, and professional aspirations. To get started, students and mentors register and complete an online survey to assess personality and experience. Once students are matched with mentors, they will be introduced to each other and will be able to interact as desired throughout the remainder of the summer and during the academic year.
What do mentors and mentees discuss?
- What goals do I have for my time at SCU and how can I achieve them?
- How do I balance the demands of school, responsibilities, and socializing?
- How can I set myself up for academic, social, and career success?
- How do I get involved and make connections with my peers?
- And more....
How can I sign up to participate as a mentor or a mentee?
We invite all current students to sign up for the program in the summer before their first academic year at SCU. We also recruit upper-division engineering students to serve as mentors in the summer before the academic year. If you are interested in participating in this program, please contact Shane Wibeto at swibeto@scu.edu.
Sophomores, juniors, and seniors are sent an invitation to participate in the program a few weeks before the fall quarter begins. Upon signing up for the program, students will be matched with a recent alumae/i mentor based on common interests, background, academics, and professional aspirations. To get started, students and mentors register and complete an online survey to assess personality and experience. Once students are matched with mentors, they will be introduced to each other and will be able to interact as desired throughout the year.
What do mentors and mentees discuss?
- How will my major impact my professional options?
- How do I balance the demands of school, responsibilities, and socializing?
- How can I set myself up for academic, social, and career success?
- How do I make connections with peers and professional contacts?
- How should I prepare for upcoming internships and job searches?
- And more...
How can I sign up to participate as a mentor or a mentee?
We invite all sophomore, junior, and senior engineering students to sign up for the program just before the start of the academic year. We also recruit recent graduates of our engineering undergraduate degree programs to serve as mentors during that time. If you are interested in participating in this program, please contact Shane Wibeto at swibeto@scu.edu.
Testimonials from Mentor Collective Participants
Mentees
- “[My mentor] helped me figure out how to prioritize my needs for my everyday schedule and eventually build up a solid foundation for achieving the best mental health.” - Jonathan
- "My mentor has been really supportive of my internship journey and helped a lot with getting my resume set up and also with getting prepared for interviews. I'm grateful for his advice as well as his words of encouragement during the somewhat nerve-racking process that is being interviewed." - Rebecca
- "[My mentor] helped me develop a plan and a set of goals to accelerate my job search process, and improve my odds of being hired" - Jack
Mentors
- "I’m volunteering to help students through a big transition in their life! It can be an incredibly rewarding and exciting transition, but it’s not necessarily easy. Extra resources can be a huge help!" - Martin
- "I want to help young adults who have great ideas and a desire to achieve success, they just need someone who has been there before to help offer guidance and help steer them in the right direction." - Christopher
- "I am volunteering as a mentor because I had many, many people support me and guide me throughout my time at SCU. So, I'd love to help and give back in any way I can" - Madison
A new Alumni/ae Mentoring Program is providing engineering sophomores and new transfer students with one-on-one help for navigating school and career challenges and opportunities, and is giving alums a chance to give back.
