Artsci Helping Artsci: The Alumni Mentorship Program Returns

To explore post-Artsci options. To learn about different career paths. To get a glimpse into specific professions. To build connections within the Artsci community and to get advice. These are just a few of the reasons why over 80 Arts & Science students joined the Artsci Alumni Mentorship Program in 2024.

We are deeply grateful to have a community of supportive alumni who thrive in many different interesting and important careers and who are willing to give back and support current Artsci students as mentors. Our sincere thanks go out to the 124 Arts & Science alumni who volunteered as mentors during the Fall 2024 academic term.

“One of the many amazing things about being part of the Artsci community is the opportunity to connect with and learn from the incredible program alumnae,” says Artsci Program Director, Dr. Beth Marquis. “I’m so grateful for the ongoing generosity of this year’s alumni mentors, and for the way the mentorship program enables current and past Artscis to engage in conversations that continue and extend the supportive, inquisitive, and socially engaged discussions that characterize so much of the program as a whole.”

Here’s what a few mentors and mentees had to say about their experience in the program this Fall:

Mentee: Noor Alqadhi, Level II Arts & Science Student
“I was so grateful to have met two brilliant alumni, Effie Lin and Melissa Paglialunga, through the alumni mentorship program. They were beyond kind, supportive, and truly inspiring—it was so nice to speak with alumni who have been in the same position as me and to see how far they’ve come. I am so thankful to them for taking the time and care to meet with me and offer their advice and encouragement. Their insights have certainly positively shaped my thoughts about the future, and I appreciate the opportunity to have connected with them. Thank you, Effie and Melissa!”

Mentor: Effie Lin (Artsci, 2016), Associate, Agro Zaffiro LLP
“I have really enjoyed being an Artsci alumni mentor and meeting the new generation of students in a program that has given me so much since I was a student about a decade ago. Speaking with current students about what they are learning in Artsci and how they hope to bring the interdisciplinary inquiry skills they have gained into their future careers brings back many fond memories for me. I am also impressed by the initiative of the mentees in connecting with alumni and think that this is a very valuable program – for both sides! It is always refreshing to see the passion that Artsci students have for social awareness and for critically engaging with every opportunity. I’m very thankful to be a part of the Artsci alumni mentor network.”

Mentee: Dev Pandya, Level I Arts & Science Student
“Participating in the Artsci Alumni Mentorship Program will definitely be one of the most inspiring moments during my first year. It was so insightful to hear from Artsci grads about how they navigated the Arts & Science degree, especially with the numerous pathways that we are exposed to during our undergraduate career here. Their valuable advice helped me craft an action plan about how I can translate the teachings of our program into a career of my own and how I can apply my education into different contexts to tackle real-world problems that I may be exposed to in the workplace. I am excited to see where Artsci takes me in the future!”

Mentor: Nathan Cupido (Artsci, 2016) PhD Student, Health Professions Education Research
“Whenever I reflect upon my time as an undergraduate student, I’m always appreciative of the strong sense of community fostered through the Arts & Science program. As an Alumni Mentor, I’m grateful for the opportunity to remain a part of the community and share my experiences with the next generation of Artsci students. Moreover, it’s always wonderful to hear about the students’ experiences: the thought-provoking and broad-based conversations with mentees always reminds me what a special place the Arts & Science program is for undergraduate education.”

Mentee: Ahastan Surees, Level II Arts & Science Student
“Having participated in the Artsci Alumni Mentorship Program for the past two years, I can confidently say that it has opened my outlook on what I want to pursue in the future. Meeting with all my fantastic alumni mentors has reinforced the fact that there are multiple paths to achieving a certain goal, and it is the experiences that you gain through the process of achieving a goal that allow you to develop as a person. The alumni mentors were a source of inspiration for me.”

– – –

Mentorship and support from alumni continue as over 40 alumni will be returning to campus throughout the Winter 2025 term to speak with Artsci students in the Alumni Experience Inquiry  course (ARTSSCI 3CU3). Each week students in this course explore the ways an interdisciplinary education might relate to life after graduation, in part by speaking with Artsci alumni who work in the following fields: Sustainability & Planning, Public Service, Not-for-Profits, Academia and Higher Education, Medicine and Healthcare, Law, Caring Professions, Private Sector and Consulting, Elementary and Secondary Teaching, and work in and with Indigenous Communities. In addition to the weekly discussions with Artsci alumni, each student in the course will interview a graduate from the Program and chat one-on-one about their career and journey since finishing the program.

Thanks to our generous alumni volunteers, students will gain further exposure to the wide range of career paths and life courses open to Artsci graduates. Students will also expand their understanding of how interdisciplinary education prepares them for a multitude of potential pathways and ways of engaging in the world—both during their undergraduate education and beyond.