Mentor Program

The CNR Mentor Program matches interested alumni with students in the College. Each Alumni Board member serves as a mentor, and additional alumni volunteers are sought. Mentors are matched with rising sophomores (mentees) studying in their respective fields, where possible. The student mentees had the opportunity to meet and have lunch with their mentors last spring. We plan to make this an annual event, in conjunction with the spring Advisory Committee meetings. Most of the communication between the mentors and mentees is via e-mail. Mentees rely on their mentors for advice, and mentors provide career networking opportunities for the student. A few Board members commented that they had outstanding success in assisting their mentees with summer work opportunities in their fields. Our hope is that mentor / mentee relationships will continue until graduation and beyond. Ultimately, we hope a student mentee that benefited from the Mentor Program will become a mentor to a rising sophomore. How many of us would have benefited from a mentor in our field, while we were students?

The CNR Mentor Program is a wonderful opportunity to give something back to a special place. Our University’s motto Ut Prosim, meaning “that I may serve”, was ingrained in us as students and many of us continue to apply it everyday. The CNR Alumni Board invites you to embrace the University motto and become involved as a Mentor. For more details or to volunteer, please contact CNR Director of Alumni Relations Lane Guilliams at laneg@vt.edu or 540-231-2512