Alumni Mentorship Program Pays It Forward

By Jeanne Stone (Liberal Studies, ‘78)

All liberal studies alumni benefitted from Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing philosophy. Once we graduate, there is still a way to be an active part of the Learn by Doing part of the Liberal Studies Program. Become a mentor to a current liberal studies student and share your real-world experiences — in teaching or any other field — and support them as they engage in coursework and fieldwork at Cal Poly.

When you volunteer to be a mentor, you will be connected with a Cal Poly student from your geographic area if possible. The student will email you to introduce herself, and the two of you take it from there. Your exchanges will allow you to share those heart-warming moments that teaching brings, answer questions about fieldwork, provide suggestions about classroom situations, or just talk about the daily life of a teacher.

Mentoring can be what you want it to be:

• A monthly (or whatever frequency works for both of you) email exchange with your student
• An occasional phone conversation
• A student visit to your classroom when Cal Poly is on break
• Extra help in your classroom when you are setting up in the fall, or possibly dismantling your classroom in June
• A visit with the student when you are in San Luis Obispo if you visit or live nearby.
• A meeting at the Liberal Studies Reunion on October 20 from 5-7 p.m. or at event in April (open house) or May (conference) of 2018.

The goal of the mentoring program is two-fold:

• provide our students with a connection to the real world of teaching or other fields
• build connections with liberal studies alumni across the state and country to provide feedback and support for the Liberal Studies Program at Cal Poly.

Register now to become a Liberal Studies Alumni Mentor 

Once matched you will receive an email with your Cal Poly student’s name and email, and you can expect an email from her shortly afterwards. If you have any questions about the mentoring program, please contact Lola Berber-Jimenez at lberberj@calpoly.edu or Jeanne Stone at jmstone@uci.edu.