More than 80 students and alumni attended the Opening Ceremony of the SMU Alumni Mentoring Programme (11th run) on 14th October 2015.
Initiated in 2010 by the SMU Alumni Association, this flagship volunteer programme saw more than 270 alumni signing up to mentor 412 students in the current run. To-date, 144 mentors have been successfully paired with 237 mentees, with each mentor taking up to three mentees. For the first time, the programme was open to post-graduate students to enrol as mentees. There was also a 25 per cent increase of post-graduate alumni participating as first-time mentors.
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Mentors and Mentees connecting |
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Opening the event was Director of Alumni Relations, Associate Professor Low Aik Meng. He commended all mentors for their selfless dedication and commitment – despite their busy schedule – to tirelessly guide and coach their juniors. Highlighting the benefits of the programme, he noted that mentors and mentees over the years have benefitted from a mutually beneficial and long-lasting professional relationship. These have led to a win-win outcome. Assoc Prof Low issued a challenge to our students encouraging them to get their fellow classmates join the programme.
| Brennan Neoh. Returning mentor sharing | Jomain Lim |
Next was a sharing from a returning mentor and mentee. Mr Brennan Neoh (BSc ISM, Graduating Class of 2013) , who had mentored more than four times took the stage. Elaborating, Brennan said “I joined the programme to stay connected with SMU. As a fresh graduate, I realised that there was a gap between students’ expectations and the working world, so as mentors, we try to bridge the gap. Having gained much knowledge and experiences during my undergraduate studies at SMU, I feel that the least I could give back to SMU and society is to volunteer as a mentor.” He also shared that he had learnt much from his mentees over the years which has helped shaped his perspective on life.
Following, Ms Jomain Lim (Year-4 student, SOA), recounted how she first enrolled as a mentee two years ago, primarily to get some career advice and guidance from her mentors, and also to expand her network. “All of us need mentors in life. There's no one better than to get a mentor that has gone through what you are going through since they’ll be able to relate to it and they can give advice accordingly.”
Since then, Jomain has participated in the Alumni Mentoring Programme as a mentee several times. “So far, all my mentors have been very kind and helpful. I benefitted a lot from the career guidance that they gave, and got to learn about the practical aspects of my dream job from someone who is already in that job. They even offered to vet my resume. They will also keep me updated on the openings available and the respective deadlines. I was very lucky to get mentors who were very pro-active and responsive. Most importantly, the mentorship became more of a friendship that last even after the session ended,” she enthused.
About the SMU Alumni Mentoring Programme
The SMU Alumni Mentoring Programme provides an opportunity for alumni who wish to give back to SMU by helping their juniors in career and industry. It aims to build a strong a vibrant SMU community that makes a difference. Over 800 alumni have volunteered their valuable time to advice, coach and mentor over 3,000 students over the last 5 years. The programme has two runs a year, with each run lasting five months.
The next run will open in February 2016.