{"id":23522,"date":"2023-01-20T15:30:46","date_gmt":"2023-01-20T15:30:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=23522"},"modified":"2023-07-10T18:34:55","modified_gmt":"2023-07-10T18:34:55","slug":"mentorship-with-an-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge","title":{"rendered":"Mentorship with an EDGE\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Mentorship<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For more than four years, the University of Washington\u2019s School of Business<\/a> mentorship program has made lasting impacts on the lives of approximately 600 UW Bothell students by pairing them with mentors from the community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mentorship EDGE<\/a> \u2014 which stands for empowerment, diversity, growth and employability \u2014 began as an initiative of the School of Business Dean\u2019s Advisory Board led by Dr. Sandeep Krishnamurthy, dean of the school. Its goal is to increase student access to career guidance directly from working professionals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elizabeth Prendergast, an alumna who received her bachelor\u2019s degree in Business Administration in 2013, is the program coordinator. Each autumn and winter quarter, she matches approximately 65 students with business leaders in the community and then provides support to ensure each pair meets regularly to discuss the mentee\u2019s development throughout the year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMentorship is so vital to students who are jumping into this transformational stage of their life,\u201d Prendergast said. \u201cYou need somebody who is in your corner, who you can talk to, who understands where you are and where you want to go, and who has experience traveling that path.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thriving interest <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When Krishnamurthy first approached Prendergast to get involved, they worked together to coordinate the program, both aware of the need for more formalized mentorship opportunities in the School of Business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Headshot
Elizabeth Prendergast, Mentorship EDGE program coordinator<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe recognized that our students could benefit from mentorship,\u201d Prendergast said. \u201cWe had connections in the industry who wanted to come in and mentor students. We had students who were really glad to sign up and be their mentees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe decided we would just connect them, and that’s how we started \u2014 quite humble beginnings. We did a few quarters, bringing on more mentors and inviting more students, and it just grew.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prendergast ran the program with Krishnamurthy until late 2018, when the program\u2019s beta name Mentorship Days was changed to Mentorship EDGE to better encapsulate the program\u2019s values. At the same time, Prendergast took over as full-time coordinator. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matching pairs <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At the beginning of each pairing cycle, Prendergast hosts a mentor and mentee orientation so that potential participants know what is expected of them, what tools and structures will be made available to them, and how to get the most from the program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prendergast reviews the mentee applications and pairs each student with a mentor, who range from business consultants to managers to CEOs. She then supports both mentor and mentee in setting a date and time to have their first \u201ckickoff\u201d meeting together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe help them get ready to jump in with momentum, and we give them some guidelines,\u201d Prendergast said. \u201cWe suggest meeting at least once a quarter over the year, yet a lot of pairs meet much more often than that and sometimes they\u2019ll meet with others in the program. The synergy they create is really exciting.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to mentor Mark Myers, a senior program manager in digital security and resilience at Microsoft who\u2019s been a mentor in several local mentorship programs, the degree of engagement from Prendergast, the program flexibility, the available supports, and the way Mentorship EDGE prepares mentors and mentees alike makes this one of the best programs he\u2019s ever joined. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re doing an exceptional job at UW Bothell,\u201d Myers said. \u201cElizabeth and the entire program are top shelf.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personalized mentorship <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After the initial match, the mentor and mentee decide how they want to move forward. Some pairs meet once a quarter online to discuss questions around professional growth, while others make a point to meet weekly or biweekly and have a set strategy on what they want to achieve together and what topics they will discuss during each meeting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paired in 2019, Myers and his mentee Kimberly Lomeli met at least every two weeks during the formal year-long mentorship with a laser focus on reverse-engineering a roadmap to Lomeli\u2019s dream job. They created meeting agendas and set goals, and the way they structured their time is now being used as an example for new mentor-mentee pairs in Mentorship EDGE. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt all starts with having the mentee share what they truly need and want to get out of our time together,\u201d said Myers. \u201cI don\u2019t want to force something on them that isn\u2019t natural or isn\u2019t delivering them the results they need. If they just want to write a resume and be done, we do that. If they want career advice, we do that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want the experience to be theirs,\u201d he said, \u201cnot mine.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strategic success <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Their approach worked. Lomeli is now living her dream as a business analyst at Goldman Sachs in New York City. She credits her early openness about her goals and her continued mentorship post-graduation with Myers with helping to make her dream job come true. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Mentor Mark Myers and mentee Kimberly Lomeli<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn 2019, I was a pre-major at UW Bothell, and I wanted to be in the chair I am sitting in today. We literally worked every single day backwards to essentially get me to where I am,\u201d Lomeli said. \u201cI did exactly what we talked about, and it worked.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lomeli graduated in June 2022, but she and Myers are still connected, keeping up with their biweekly meetings online as well as texting and emailing in between. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMark is helping me learn to navigate corporate America as a young professional,\u201d Lomeli said, adding that Myers is helping her keep a positive, constructive mindset, too. \u201cHe\u2019s teaching me to take things day by day.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expanding services <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Based on the overwhelmingly positive response to the program \u2014 and as part of the School of Business\u2019 commitment to diversity \u2014 Mentorship EDGE has now been expanded to include graduate students in addition to undergraduates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs we started to grow, we had mentors who wanted to mentor graduate students, and we were hearing that graduate students really wanted to be included,\u201d she said. \u201cWe got to a point where we felt like we could serve them well.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beau Farris is one such graduate student. Farris graduated with his MBA in 2022 and spent his last year in the graduate program as a mentee in Mentorship EDGE. He was mentored by Peter Goodwin, an independent marketing consultant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wanted guidance in leveraging my education and experience in new industries or in new areas of interest,\u201d said Farris. \u201cIt was really helpful having a third party to go to for advice who wasn\u2019t family, friends or coworkers and who would listen and give me unbiased advice.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mentee as mentor <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Goodwin, like Myers, takes an active, engaged approach to his mentorship. He has several mentees at any given time and has developed an introductory slideshow for them so they could get to know him better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Mentee Beau Farris and mentor Peter Goodwin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been very fortunate to work with and for some very smart business leaders across multiple industries, including at Nissan when I lived and worked in Japan,\u201d Goodwin said. \u201cThe perspective I\u2019ve gained over the years has been very valuable, and my hope is to share what I\u2019ve learned and jump-start the careers of my mentees.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like with Myers and Lomeli, Goodwin and Farris\u2019 relationship has been fruitful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt has definitely helped me see the value in building relationships outside my typical network,\u201d said Farris, now a national account manager with the Tulalip Resort Casino. \u201cMy relationship with Peter has inspired me to enter the Mentorship EDGE program again, this time as a mentor!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ever evolving <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Prendergast says she is always looking for ways she can enhance the impact Mentorship EDGE has on UW Bothell students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each summer quarter, she organizes a networking event where past and present mentors and mentees from the program can mingle and get to know each other. The event in 2022 then inspired the launch of a Mentees of the Year award, a tuition scholarship presented to exceptional students. Lomeli was one of five recipients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe’re an agile, growing program. We’re always trying to improve and get better,\u201d said Prendergast. \u201cThis coming spring quarter I hope to give out more scholarships. And we\u2019re always looking for more mentors from different fields and different levels of seniority to connect with our students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe want to create more opportunities for these transformational connections to happen.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In just a few short years, several hundred students in the School of Business have taken part in a mentorship program to get critical career guidance and learn how to network, setting them up to land their dream jobs.<\/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":[209,202,197,204],"tags":[],"school":[417],"class_list":["post-23522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni","category-campus-news","category-news-releases","category-students","school-school-of-business"],"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":"\nMentorship with an EDGE\u00a0 - News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mentorship with an EDGE\u00a0 - News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In just a few short years, several hundred students in the School of Business have taken part in a mentorship program to get critical career guidance and learn how to network, setting them up to land their dream jobs.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-01-20T15:30:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-07-10T18:34:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/03\/myers-lomeli.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"Mentorship with an EDGE\u00a0\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-01-20T15:30:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-07-10T18:34:55+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge\"},\"wordCount\":1383,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/03\/myers-lomeli.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Alumni\",\"Campus News\",\"News Releases\",\"Students\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge\",\"name\":\"Mentorship with an EDGE\u00a0 - News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/03\/myers-lomeli.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-01-20T15:30:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-07-10T18:34:55+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/03\/myers-lomeli.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/03\/myers-lomeli.jpg\",\"width\":770,\"height\":578},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Mentorship with an EDGE\u00a0\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/\",\"name\":\"News\",\"description\":\"Just another UW Bothell site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/author\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Mentorship with an EDGE\u00a0 - News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Mentorship with an EDGE\u00a0 - News","og_description":"In just a few short years, several hundred students in the School of Business have taken part in a mentorship program to get critical career guidance and learn how to network, setting them up to land their dream jobs.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge","og_site_name":"News","article_published_time":"2023-01-20T15:30:46+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-07-10T18:34:55+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/03\/myers-lomeli.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge"},"author":{"name":"","@id":""},"headline":"Mentorship with an EDGE\u00a0","datePublished":"2023-01-20T15:30:46+00:00","dateModified":"2023-07-10T18:34:55+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge"},"wordCount":1383,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/03\/myers-lomeli.jpg","articleSection":["Alumni","Campus News","News Releases","Students"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge","url":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge","name":"Mentorship with an EDGE\u00a0 - News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/03\/myers-lomeli.jpg","datePublished":"2023-01-20T15:30:46+00:00","dateModified":"2023-07-10T18:34:55+00:00","author":{"@id":""},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/03\/myers-lomeli.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/03\/myers-lomeli.jpg","width":770,"height":578},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/20\/mentorship-with-an-edge#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Mentorship with an EDGE\u00a0"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/","name":"News","description":"Just another UW Bothell site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"","url":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/author"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23522"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23522\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28272,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23522\/revisions\/28272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23522"},{"taxonomy":"school","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/school?post=23522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}