We are pleased to announce that nominations are now being accepted for the 2019 UCLA Alumni Mentor Program Awards, which honor exceptional alumni mentors and students.
We encourage you to use this opportunity to nominate your mentor or student in order to recognize their outstanding commitment to your mentorship and UCLA.
Complete this short form to submit your nomination. Award recipients will be announced in June and receive exclusive UCLA swag! Deadline to submit nominations is Wednesday, June 12 at 11 p.m.
Concluding the Formal Mentorship
As your formal mentorship is coming to a close at the end of the academic year in June, we encourage you to schedule a final meeting (in person, over the phone/Skype or via email) to reflect on the past year and your mentorship.
Here are a few things to consider:
Review the goals you set at the beginning of the year and discuss the progress you've made and what you have learned.
Mentors, do you have any final advice for your student that would help them on their trajectory? Discuss their future goals and provide feedback and ideas on how they could accomplish those goals.
Students, thank your mentor and share what you have valued most from their mentorship.
Discuss if and how you'd like to stay in contact in the future.
Express your appreciation for each other and the commitment you both made to the mentorship.
Mentorship Spotlight
Brian Woo, a third year biology major, and his alumni mentor, Minh-An Cao '12, share their greatest takeaway from their mentorship.
Brian: "I think the greatest takeaway from my mentorship experience is that I am not alone, and that I don’t have to go through my academic or professional journey alone. It taught me that there are other people in similar situations as I am, and it highlighted the significance of having someone to reach out to for help or advice. Personally, I think having a first-generation mentor really helped because I am in a similar position as she was in during her undergraduate years. Hearing the process she went through to achieve her goals inspires me to aim for my goals without hesitance or worry that I am taking the wrong steps or not doing enough for my professional goals."
Minh-An: "It reminds me a lot of my own experience going through UCLA and worrying about what comes next after graduation. I enjoy giving insights and advice on what I wish I knew when I was going through the same experiences and just hope that I can help my mentees in any way possible. I look forward to seeing my mentees grow even more and achieve greater things as they progress towards their last year of undergrad and start applying for jobs/grad school."
Watch the YouTube Bruin Career Insights episode as alumni mentor and Disney animator Scott Sakamoto '00 details his career journey transitioning from sports marketing towards Disney animation. He shares the many lessons he learned along the way about career open-mindedness, tapping into your network and the power of perseverance. Watch the episode here.
As a production supervisor at Walt Disney Animation Studios, Scott's passion and experience have centered around the storytelling process. Currently, he is helping to oversee the creative process on a yet-to-be-announced animated feature. His other recent projects at Disney include the Oscar-nominated feature "Moana" and the theatrical sequel to "Wreck-It Ralph," "Ralph Breaks the Internet." Scott earned his Bachelor of Arts in communication studies from UCLA and is currently mentoring an undergraduate student through the UCLA Alumni Mentor Program.
