A-SCHOOL ALUMNI MENTORSHIP PROGRAM (AAMP)
OVERVIEW
The UVA School of Architecture and the A-School Young Alumni Council (AYAC) understand that creating a personal and professional network is an important part of the student experience and post-graduation life. The people we meet and the connections that are made –planned or impromptu –impact our lives in ways we cannot foresee now. The A-School Alumni Mentorship Program aims to open opportunities and build a trusted community for our students, first and foremost. Our A-School alumni community is a valuable resource of experience, advice and support. Many conversations may focus on career development and professional guidance but the program aims to foster relationships that can grow beyond reviewing portfolios and resumes (although that is a great activity to do!)
We launched the A-School Alumni Mentorship Program at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spring 2020 to much success. Based on regular feedback, the mentorship program continues to evolve to better meet the needs of our mentors and mentees.
UVA A-SCHOOL ALUMNI MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Format:
The AAMP is a SMALL GROUP/POD mentorship format. Two to three student mentees and 2-3 alumni mentors will be mixed and matched to create small groups of varied experience, interests, and locations. The group format will allow more voices to share and learn and encourage open conversation and listening. Over time, as relationships form – the group format can evolve to meet the needs of the individuals, with more one-on-one outreach or even Campbell Hall meet ups for the students. With everyone’s busy schedules, not every meeting needs to have all participants, hopefully alleviating some of the time pressure of the one-on-one mentorship format. This is an opportunity for everyone in the small group to learn from one another and share ideas.
In addition:
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All student mentees will OPT-IN to be an active participant for the year.
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All alumni mentors will SIGN-UP to be an active participant for the year (if you participated in past years you will need to sign up again to renew your interest and information).
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All students are encouraged to sign up, although students closer to graduation will have priority in the match process.
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The program will officially span the academic year (October through May), with about 5 recommended times to reach out to your small group (around key career development or academic markers). The mentorship relationships are determined by the mentors and mentees –you can talk more or less depending on the needs and availability.
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There will be a "pod coordinator" for each group (alumni, please volunteer to be one in the sign-up) to help initiate the first outreach, facilitate regular meeting times and be a point person for your group with the School/AYAC.
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We are committed to support all BIPOC and NOMAS (National Organization of Minority Architecture Students) members who opt-into the program and provide the opportunity to be paired with a BIPOC (black, indigenous, or people of color) or LATINX alumni mentor, if preferred.
HOW TO SIGN UP AS A MENTOR OR MENTEE (2024-2025)
I AM A STUDENT:
https://forms.office.com/r/y40CWR015R
I AM AN ALUMNUS/ALUMNA:
https://forms.office.com/r/GieiFKqiDh
DETAILS ON THE MENTORSHIP PROGRAM ARE SHARED BELOW —
Mentorship is important for everyone – alumni and students! Thank you for giving back your time in a most meaningful way.
“One of my mentees is starting a job at my firm (although another office). I also found out that a former colleague is now working for one of the other mentors' firm.”
“Through my mentors, I made a connection that resulted in greater advocacy for me as a job candidate at my new firm! ”
“All of our meetings were great, I really loved having multiple mentors so we could fill in the gaps together. We did an impromptu portfolio review that was really insightful.”
“I enjoyed the multi-age mentor interactions the best. There are not many other avenues for meeting alumni at this stage of school.”
MENTORSHIP PROGRAM TIMELINE
August - September
Deadline for A-School students and alumni mentors to sign up
October 1
Matches! Introductory emails to small groups
First Friday of October (noon)
A-School Alumni Mentorship Program ZOOM kick-off and information sessions for mentors and mentees
End of November
Resume/Portfolio Review recommendations (Happy Thanksgiving!)
Early December
Final Reviews/Exams check-in (Send a message of good luck)
First two weeks of January
Shadow day, in-person meeting, or outreach during Externship Week
Early March
Career Development/Advice check-in before Spring Break
Late April
Final Reviews/Exams check-in (Send a message of good luck)
Before May 20
Congratulations for end of year/Graduation
+ How will I be matched?
In October and again in January, a great team of A-School Young Alumni Council and Dean’s Advisory Board members will review the questionnaires and pair each student with an alumni mentor, based on mutual preferences and interests. The more we know about you - the easier it is to match you! Matches may not be perfect, but give your mentor/mentee some time to get to know them – their experience and advice go beyond what their job is right now.
+ I am an alum and I didn’t get a student mentee – why not?
We have far more alumni than students signed up requesting a mentor (that’s a good thing!). A larger alumni mentor pool allows us the flexibility of making more personalized matches, based on the student’s interests and preferences. Have no worries if you are not matched immediately, student registration for the program is ongoing, so you may be matched in January or anytime throughout the year.
+ I am an alum, what are the expectations and time commitment for this mentorship program?
As we all know, matches are based on limited information and are not perfect. This program is a mentorship, not an apprenticeship – so you are a professional point of contact to discuss career paths, life lessons, words of encouragement, and to simply be some support and a friendly voice during this uncertain time. No one is expected to have the answers on what is going to happen next, or to offer a job. We want to show our students that their A-School alumni community is large and supportive, as well as how important it is to make connections now that may impact their lives years down the road.
This program spans the whole academic year. After you are connected with your mentee, please be the first to respond and reach out by email or text. Introduce yourself with a short bio and set up a time to talk further to get to know one another. All of these students have opted-into this program, so they should be responsive, but please don’t hesitate to be persistent! Offer to review their resume or portfolios, introduce them to other friends to talk to – be creative in your outreach but the School will also provide some recommendations throughout the year for regular contact.
Keep in mind that it is up to you and your mentee(s) to communicate more or less than the suggested outreach and the prompts the program provides. Keep lines of communication open, share good articles you read or lectures you heard, check-in whenever you can to build a stronger relationship!
+ I am a student, what are the expectations and time commitment for me in this mentorship program?
Matches are based on limited information and are not perfect. Your mentor is an initial professional contact to ask questions, review resumes/portfolios, talk about the scope of opportunities, share networks and stories. The mentorship program is NOT about job placement. Even if your mentor does not work at an office or a sector that you are interested in – remember that you are not interviewing for a job – you are connecting with a person for life experience, advice and the many possibilities after graduation.
After you are connected with your mentee, please be quick to respond and introduce yourself. Your mentor should try to set up a time to talk further to get to know one another. The program will provide some recommendations throughout the year for outreach but feel free to contact your mentor whenever you want more or less, in between these time – if you need a quick desk crit, or want a recommendation for a book to read, or before you apply to an internship. Be creative with your outreach and don’t be afraid to reach out and ask any questions!
It is up to you (and your alumni mentor) to make the most of this relationship but know that the alumni want to talk and want to help as best that they can. So take full advantage of their outreach – you never know what will come of it now or years down the road when you least expect it.
+ I am not connecting with my pod or life is getting too busy to participate in the program any longer – what should I do?
We understand! It is fine to pull out of the mentorship program, but we just ask that you communicate your plans so we can plan accordingly. We have had issues in past years with mentors or mentees deciding to not participate in the program anymore for any number of reasons, and simply ignoring emails or outreach from pod members or the School.
If you are not connecting with your pod members please reach out to Kim Wong Haggart, kimwong@virginia.edu. She can help put you in a different pod, if you wish to continue with mentorship and/or help alert the other members of your pod and slot in a new member.
If you are too busy or unable to continue with the program – we get it. Please let kimwong@virginia.edu know or send a quick email to your pod, letting them know that some unexpected deadlines or life circumstances came up. Everyone will understand. We want to be respectful of your time and the time of your pod members – making sure everyone gets the most out of this experience.
+ We have unresponsive or inactive members in our pod – what should we do?
Email Kim Wong Haggart at kimwong@virginia.edu with the name(s) of the inactive members and we will try to reach out to the alumni/student to see what is going on and regauge interest in participating. Kim and the AYAC can then add a new member, if needed (and if available). Don’t be afraid to speak up – it only helps us improve the integrity of the program!
For more advice and resources, view additional information in the sections below on this webpage.
HOW TO CONNECT WITH YOUR MENTOR/MENTEE —
“40 Questions to ask a Mentor"
ADDITIONAL MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES —
UVA Career Center - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Resources
The following resources are available to students. For mentors, please direct your mentees here:
For Curricular Questions or Concerns: Students should contact the Office of Academic Support
For Career Services + Development: Students should contact the Office of Career Development
Mental Health + Wellbeing Support Resources
As a mentor, you are not expected to handle anything you are not comfortable with. When in doubt, contact Kim Wong Haggart, Director of Engagement and Alumni Initiatives (kimwong@virginia.edu / 434.982.2761).