Alumni Mentors

Mentorship is a partnership between two people; a more experienced individual (the mentor) and an individual aspiring to learn from the mentor’s experience (the mentee). The USC Dornsife Alumni Mentorship Program’s central mission is to provide Dornsife students with the means to connect with alumni to support career exploration, job shadowing, and networking opportunities.

• The Mentor will provide insight and guidance to the mentee based on personal experience in career and academic pursuits.
• The Mentee will receive guidance and advice from a mentor to assist in career development, goal setting, and career-related decision-making.

A successful mentorship entails the completion of all required elements of the program and mentorship best practices:

• Attend Orientation
• Schedule Coffee Chat
• Have a minimum of 6-8 mentorship engagements
• Particiapte in Closing event
• Listen
• Ask and encourage questions
• Help students think through possibilities
• Impart life and career experiences and advice
• Coach and guide students
• Help students explore career goals and opportunities
• Share career journey and lessons learned
• Offer professional insight and industry trendsProvide constructive feedback
• Support student growth

Mentors are not expected to:

• Find jobs or internships for students
• Review every assignment or application
• Be available on demand
• Serve as counselors or therapists
• Have all the answers

The mission of the USC Dornsife Alumni Mentorship Program is to provide Dornsife students with the means to engage with alumni so they can benefit from your professional and personal life experiences. Mentors frequently report that the program helps them:

• Give back to USC and Dornsife
• Develop coaching and leadership skills
• Expand their professional networks
• Stay connected to current students
• Make a meaningful impact on a student’s future

The USC Dornsife Alumni Mentorship Program is from September 30, 2026 – February 17, 2027 (Program breaks Nov. 24 – Jan. 10)

We recommend a minimum of 6-8 engagements with their mentee during the length of the program. Mentorship engagement may consist of:

• 30–60 minutes per mentoring conversation(s)
• 1–2 hours attending optional program events
• 4 hours attending the kick-off and closing events
• Communications (e-mail, texts, chats, phone-calls, etc.)
• Completion of Midpoint survey (November) and End-of-program survey (February)

Mentorship engagement can be:

• In-person
• Virtual
• Hybrid

Register for the USC Dornsife Alumni Mentorship Program.

• You’ll complete a profile detailing basic information about yourself
• In addition, you’ll complete the USC Dornsife Alumni Mentorship Program registration where you’ll communicate areas of expertise and experience
• Once registration is complete, we will engage in the matching process

We recommend you mentor one to two students throughout the semester. Most of our volunteers choose to mentor one student at a time.

Alumni are welcome to continue mentoring their students as long as they are willing and able.

Some events and programs are required including Orientation, Coffee Chat task scheduling, and the Closing Celebration. The great thing about this program is that your mentorship connection can be carried out as the mentor and mentee see fit since the activities will be chosen by you and your mentee and will be completed according to each of your schedules.

You do not have to live in Los Angeles to participate. You can mentor by connecting with your student via phone, email, Zoom, or FaceTime and still be a great alumni mentor. We will provide virtual events and discussions for you and your mentee to participate in. Virtual mentorship can be as valuable as in-person mentorship and we encourage you to reach out to us for any needed support as you connect and engage with your mentor.

Application link will be released in early July. Return here for application link. Invitations to apply will also be provided via e-mail, newsletter, and USC Dornsife social media.