Meredith College Launches Meredith Mentors

The Meredith Alumnae Association and Office of Career Planning have launched an online mentoring program called Meredith Mentors. The new platform will connect current students, alumnae/alumni, faculty, and staff enabling them to support each other professionally and personally through a short-term connection or long-term relationship.

Meredith has more than 22,000 alumnae/alumni and the goal is to connect current students with strong graduates who want to help them find their career path, the best internships, advice on graduate or professional school, and life after Meredith, to name a few topics. The user can also search the platform on a variety of topics, such as majors, industry, location, student abroad destinations, and strengths.

“We’re excited to formally launch Meredith Mentors because in today’s dynamic world, it’s critical to have mentors and sponsors that will support one’s professional growth,” says Hilary Allen, ՚01, director of  alumnae relations. “We look forward to seeing how users will connect and support one another. The entire Meredith community will benefit from this new initiative.”

Meredith Mentors is designed to be interactive and user-friendly. Key features of the program include finding a mentor, mentee or both and choosing their level of involvement and time commitment. There are discussion groups to connect people who share the same interests or experiences. For example, graduates can connect with fellow alumnae if they settle in a new city and need guidance about issues with career transition, re-entering the workforce, or career advancement. Users can also discover and post event listings, including networking mixers, career fairs, and conferences. Faculty and staff can also search the platform and find graduates to invite back to campus for events, panels, or lectures.

“I’ve always looked to mentors, both men and women, for guidance and to bounce ideas off of but also to watch how they navigate similar things,” said Laura McNeill Cox, ’05. “I think mentors are so important throughout your career – both personally and professionally.”

Alumnae can request to be matched with a current student for a long-term mentorship and have the opportunity to attend campus events twice a year and connect with their mentee. Access to digital resources to assist in forming meaningful mentorship relationships will also be available.

“Meredith Mentors can and will be supportive of students beginning their career by being available to provide knowledge, advice, and experience,” says Alli Barrow, ՚20. “When connecting you never know the opportunity waiting on the other end until you reach out.”

Some of the companies already represented on the platform include SAS, Deloitte, Warner Brothers, Walt Disney World, Wells Fargo, National Weather Service, Marriott International, IBM, Wake County Public School System, Wake Forest Baptist Health, CREE, Dell Technologies, North Carolina Nurses Association, and YMCA of the Triangle.

The campus community can register at mentors.meredith.edu and create an account. Building a profile is easy. Users can import their information from LinkedIn or Facebook or manually enter, add a photo, and they will be ready to connect. Email questions to mentors@meredith.edu.