{"id":15613,"date":"2019-08-14T16:03:53","date_gmt":"2019-08-14T16:03:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=15613"},"modified":"2023-06-08T18:39:27","modified_gmt":"2023-06-08T18:39:27","slug":"mentor-chats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2019\/08\/14\/mentor-chats","title":{"rendered":"Where do IAS grads work? Ask an alum"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
From left, Javier Carrasquero, Jennifer Atkinson, Jaime Fajardo. UW Bothell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Douglas Esser
\nTwo years ago this summer Javier Carrasquero completed his degree at the University of Washington Bothell with a capstone course in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences<\/a> (IAS) taught by Jennifer Atkinson. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This summer Carrasquero returned to Atkinson\u2019s capstone course as a mentor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While in college, it\u2019s sometimes difficult for students to imagine what comes next and how. It\u2019s helpful to hear from people who have been there and done that. It\u2019s nice to have a mentor chat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back and ahead <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mentor Chats<\/a> are quarterly events with IAS alumni designed to help students explore a range of professions. The chats fit nicely with the portfolio capstone course, BIS 499, which has career development as one its the aims. Along with Atkinson, a senior lecturer, faculty who often host chats include both Rebecca Price, professor, and Kristin Gustafson, senior lecturer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The chats, which began in 2014, are arranged by Lisa Olason, alumni and community relations manager for IAS. They also are open to students outside of IAS who may be looking for career guidance and networking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two alumni spoke at the Aug. 7 chat hosted by Atkinson. They shared their personal stories and provided practical advice in response to questions about resumes and interviews. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Javier Carrasquero: Global Studies \u201817 <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Javier<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Javier Carrasquero<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UW Bothell<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When he came from Venezuela in 2001, Carrasquero said he didn\u2019t speak English. He attended Cascadia College when in his 20s and returned to college at UW Bothell when he was in his 30s, working full time at Premera Blue Cross and with a wife and young children at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now working for Boeing at the Everett Delivery Center where widebody planes are handed over to airlines, Carrasquero is a \u201clean\u201d practitioner who works to find ways to make the process more efficient. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carrasquero told the students he didn\u2019t know much about the aerospace industry before he went to work at Boeing. What he did know was how to analyze a problem and put people together to solve it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He learned that at UW Bothell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCritical thinking is foundational to the work I do every day,\u201d he said. \u201cI couldn\u2019t get my work done if it wasn\u2019t for collaboration. Communication is something that I developed at UW Bothell.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carrasquero, who also spoke at a Mentor Chat in April, said some IAS students worry they lack technical skills. Don\u2019t worry, he said. People can be trained for specific tasks on a job. Businesses are looking for employees who make good decisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jaime Fajardo: Society, Ethics & Human Behavior \u201812 <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A first-generation college student, Fajardo grew up in eastern Washington and went first to Spokane Community College. He returned to college at UW Bothell as a 26-year-old, who worked full time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUW Bothell felt like home for me,\u201d said Fajardo, who recalled the Washington, D.C., Human Rights Seminar<\/a> as one particularly memorable experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After getting a degree from UW Bothell, Fajardo received a master\u2019s in Social Work in 2016 from the UW in Seattle. He has worked 10 years in juvenile justice, including time at the Echo Glen detention center run by the state in North Bend. He now is the program supervisor for Snohomish County\u2019s juvenile court in Everett. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with critical thinking and problem-solving, Fajardo said UW Bothell raised his emotional intelligence \u2014 the ability to handle relationships, work in teams and navigate the system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paying back, paying attention <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Carrasquero said he enjoys the Mentor Chats not only as a way to give back to the university but also as a way to learn from students and to think about what he\u2019s done. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes we\u2019re too busy to reflect on what we\u2019re doing. To me, this is an opportunity,\u201d Carrasquero. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students who are about to graduate also welcomed their opportunity to look ahead and ask for some career advice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s helpful just to learn about the transition to the workplace,\u201d said Eduardo Sanchez, a Law, Economics & Public Policy major. He has talked with an immigration lawyer about working as a Spanish translator and eventually plans to go to law school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice to have someone to look to for how to approach where you want to be,\u201d said Warisha Soomro, an Interactive Media Design major who was recognized as one of the 2018 Husky 100 \u2014 students who make the most of their UW experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Practical advice from professionals <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Fajardo said he\u2019s had some great mentors, so his goal is to give back. Some of the tips he offered to students, along with Carrasquero, in response to questions: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • It\u2019s really about networking, starting with your professors who can write letters of recommendation. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Don\u2019t be ashamed to include jobs such as food server on a resume. Front-line customer service is valuable experience. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Don\u2019t be discouraged by shut doors and unreturned emails. Move on. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Know your value. You\u2019re also interviewing them. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Let others know what you want. Put it out there.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    With quarterly Mentor Chats, alumni from the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences return to tell current students how the skills they have learned are valued in the professional world and lead to rewarding careers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[202,218],"tags":[286],"school":[],"class_list":["post-15613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-campus-news","category-community-engagement","tag-mentorship"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":null,"link_2":null,"link_3":null,"link_4":null,"link_5":null},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":null,"button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":true,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"\nWhere do IAS grads work? 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