{"312481":{"#nid":"312481","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Students Make Career Connections through Alumni Mentoring","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAs new and returning students refine class schedules and secure jobs for fall semester, one important element of college life may not yet be on the schedule: meetings with a mentor.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor Niki Lewis, tapping into the knowledge and wisdom of someone who\u2019d \u201cbeen there, done that\u201d was integral to her first-year experience. She participated in Mentor Jackets, a Student Alumni Association (SAA) program that matches students with Tech alumni for mentoring.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cMy mentor had recently graduated, so he was still very connected to campus,\u201d she said. \u201cHe helped me figure out what organization and extracurricular activities to get involved with. He also helped me create my resume and gave valuable advice on attending my first career fair and preparing for interviews.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThough Lewis\u2019 mentor lives in Orlando, they communicated via Skype a couple of times a month and met in person midway through the year at the Georgia Tech vs. University of Georgia football game.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELewis, an industrial engineering major who is now co-chair of the Mentor Jackets program, encourages all students, whether undergraduates or graduates, to get involved.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cEveryone has something to gain from interaction with alumni who have been through the same things you\u2019re experiencing,\u201d she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHarrison Obiorah, a third-year computer science major, has had two mentors in his two years at Tech, both of whom have left a lasting impression. After Obiorah started second-guessing his major choice and future career options last year, his mentor introduced him to the idea of IT consulting, which bridged his varied interests. He has since secured an internship in the field for next summer.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIf you have your dream job figured out, [Mentor Jackets] is the perfect platform to map out the quickest way to end up in that dream job,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhether a student has a similar dilemma or not, Obiorah\u2019s believes Mentor Jackets will support their goals. Students are able to specify areas of interest when applying to the program, in order to be matched with an appropriate mentor. For those who are unsure, Obiorah suggests that students put down anything they find interesting during registration and \u201cjoin with an open mind.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe can\u2019t promise it will happen in one year, but we can promise that the more time and effort you put into Mentor Jackets, the more you\u2019ll reap,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMentors and mentees are expected to meet on a regular basis, whether it\u2019s in person, by phone or through another medium. Mentor Jackets also hosts group events throughout the year, including speed networking and guest speakers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo participate, students must be members of SAA, which they can join by making a $10 donation. The donation is 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 can join SAA at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/gtsaa.com\u0022\u003Egtsaa.com\u003C\/a\u003E or during its annual campus kickoff on Thursday, Sept. 4. Mentor Jackets signups are at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/gtmentorjackets.com\u0022\u003Egtmentorjackets.com\u003C\/a\u003E and are open throughout the fall semester.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMentor Jackets is open to all students who join the Student Alumni Association.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Mentor Jackets is open to all students who join the Student Alumni Association."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2014-08-06 09:33:08","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:16:52","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-08-06T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2014-08-06T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"312491":{"id":"312491","type":"image","title":"Students Meet at 2013 Mentor Jackets Kickoff","body":null,"created":"1449244929","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:02:09","changed":"1475895022","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:22","alt":"Students Meet at 2013 Mentor Jackets Kickoff","file":{"fid":"199877","name":"10395330916_515af821da_k.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/10395330916_515af821da_k_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/10395330916_515af821da_k_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":879144,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/10395330916_515af821da_k_0.jpg?itok=Xp3sbH1D"}},"312501":{"id":"312501","type":"image","title":"Students and Mentors Meet at 2013 Mentor Jackets Kickoff","body":null,"created":"1449244929","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:02:09","changed":"1475895022","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:22","alt":"Students and Mentors Meet at 2013 Mentor Jackets 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Kickoff","file":{"fid":"199880","name":"9902926966_f9f97591c9_k.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/9902926966_f9f97591c9_k_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/9902926966_f9f97591c9_k_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2547076,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/9902926966_f9f97591c9_k_0.jpg?itok=QRoFsbYO"}},"312531":{"id":"312531","type":"image","title":"2013 SAA Kickoff","body":null,"created":"1449244929","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:02:09","changed":"1475895022","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:22","alt":"2013 SAA Kickoff","file":{"fid":"199881","name":"9902940716_1f2afaa8fb_k.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/9902940716_1f2afaa8fb_k_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/9902940716_1f2afaa8fb_k_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1317855,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/9902940716_1f2afaa8fb_k_0.jpg?itok=cYtnpB-E"}}},"media_ids":["312491","312501","312511","312521","312531"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/gtsaa.com\/","title":"GT Student Alumni Association"},{"url":"http:\/\/gtmentorjackets.com\/","title":"Mentor Jackets"},{"url":"http:\/\/gtalumni.org\/","title":"Georgia Tech Alumni Association"}],"groups":[{"id":"1184","name":"Alumni Association"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"596","name":"Alumni Association"},{"id":"4372","name":"mentoring"},{"id":"167406","name":"Student Alumni Association"},{"id":"167141","name":"Student Life"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:catie.mccoy@alumni.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ECatie McCoy\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlumni Association\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kristen.bailey@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKristen Bailey\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}