Alumni offer connections that will ‘last for a lifetime’
By KAYLEE JO NEELEY, Student Reporter
About 135 people are participating in a mentorship program that brings together students from various majors and alumni from diverse career paths.
The Northwestern Foundation & Alumni Association’s growing “Ranger2Ranger” program began in August, serving as a way for alumni to offer advice and for students to gain knowledge about their desired fields of study.
“There are alumni that are highly successful in their careers, and their experience in their field is invaluable,” said John Allen, director of alumni relations. “And to be able to share that with students, we figured it would give a leg up for students and provide important opportunities.”
Allen said he hopes more students will sign up for the program. Allen said the board is looking at this program mainly for the next three years to see if it is helpful.
Students and alumni can be a part of “Ranger2Ranger” by going to the foundation’s website and signing up. After creating an online profile and having it approved, students will be matched with a mentor.
Skeeter Bird, the foundation’s CEO, said mentors and students will be matched based on a variety of criteria, including shared professional interests and location preferences. While a match may not be available right away, mentor and student profiles will be stored in a database for future matching.
“If we get a chance to talk to someone who is working in our field of study, that gives us a chance to better understand their position and their career,” Bird said.
Once a connection is formed, students and alumni have networking possibilities based on the shared interests of the mentee and mentor. Mentoring can occur through phone conversations, Zoom sessions, emails, text messaging and in-person meetings.
“Students will gain experience from the alumni and the mentor they visit,” Allen said. “They will have an opportunity to perhaps job-shadow or intern where they will get advice on the occupation they have chosen to go into, and that will last for a lifetime.”
To learn more, visit https://ranger2ranger.ournorthwestern.org/page/about.
