Students learn career, graduate school information from former students

The Winona State University Alumni Mentoring Program is returning this fall after a successful first year of pairing students with seasoned alumni. Students have the unique opportunity to connect once or twice a month for advice and assistance from their mentors who share the same fields of study.

While the list is continually updating, this year there are approximately 30 alumni who have volunteered to mentor students within the program.

“It really is a very powerful program and it can be really inspirational,” Associate Director of Alumni Relations Tracy Hale said. 

Hale created the program last year after traveling across the country for Winona State alumni events.

“I had been asked by lots of alumni if we had any sort of a mentoring program, so I started doing some research,” Hale said. “I brought it to our alumni board in the spring of 2016 and we did a pilot program.”

After receiving positive feedback, Hale officially launched the program in the fall of 2016.

Winona State alumni and students filled out online applications for the program, then Hale hand-matched them according to their respective occupations and fields of study. However, not all alumni received mentees last fall. Hale wants to have 100 percent matches this year.

“[Alumni] are wanting to help,” Hale said. “They’ve reached out to me. We really need to take them up on that. Who doesn’t want to have somebody say, ‘You know what, I’m going to help you in the workforce. I’m going to help you with your interview skills.’ It’s not that they’re going to find you a job, but they can help you get the skills [for] the job that you want.”

Hale emphasized that the program is designed

with everyone in mind, regardless of major or year.

“[Whether you’re] a freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, it doesn’t matter,” Hale said. “You can always use a mentor—somebody to look after you and just touch base with.”

Alumni in the program this year have experience in nursing, criminal justice, communication studies, English writing and human resources, to name a few. Some of them also hold leadership positions and have received distinguished alumni awards, Hale said.

Hale also said the program is designed to be low-pressure and it is not a large commitment for students. 

“Besides your time, there’s no other commitment to you. You never have to meet [your mentor] if you don’t want to,” Hale said. 

The focus is instead on making a connection between student and mentor through email or other means of communication.

“You never know what that connection can be, so why not take a chance and talk to somebody one or two hours a month?” Hale said.

Junior athletic training major Heather Buerman said her mentor Tiffany Calteaux, a 2006 Winona State graduate with a degree in exercise science, helped her with the application process for physical therapy school.

“I’ve had a very positive and rewarding experience with my mentor,” Buerman said. “She has been nothing but helpful and enthusiastic as she has smoothly guided me through the application process for physical therapy.”

Calteaux now works as a physical therapist at Gundersen Health Systems.

“She did a great job of presenting me with appropriate resources to check out and asking questions about what I was really looking for in a [physical therapy] school [and] program,” Buerman said.

Junior cell and molecular biology major Jennifer Connell also said her mentor, Susan Page, a graduate of 1998 with a degree in psychology, was helpful with prepping her for a career.

“My experience has been invaluable. My mentor helped me with coming up with a narrative for why I want to go into my career field,” Connell said.

Page currently works at Jazz Pharmaceuticals as the Global Head of Learning and Development.

“[She] also gave me advice for interviews and networking in my field. Overall it has been a great experience and one I hope to continue,” Connell said.

Junior Nicholas Gabriele, a finance and statistics double major, said his mentor Paul Johnson, a 1983 graduate with a degree in business administration, was helpful with career advice and beyond.

“It was a great experience and Mr. Johnson was of great help in not only career [and] school advice, but life advice as well. We are still in contact today,” Gabriele said.  “I would recommend this program to any student, in any major.”

Johnson now works as the vice president of investor relations at Xcel Energy.

“Winona has a broad and vast network of distinguished and helpful alumni that are willing and able to help with anything from career advice to simple life advice,” Gabriele said. “Above all, you make a meaningful relationship with someone who was in your shoes before.”