Mentoring is at the heart of an SOC education. Our faculty and alumni dig deep into their professional experience to meet the individual needs of students.
— Dean Larry Kirkman
SOC's Network of Success
SOC’s unique mentoring program bridges the gap between the classroom and the professional world as students prepare for future careers in communication. Each year SOC students who are admitted to the program are paired with top SOC alumni for career advice through a partnership between the School of Communication, AU Career Center, and SOC Development Team. Whether it is helping mentees meet short and long term career goals, sharing tips to improve resumes and portfolios or helping students network their way into the communication field, professional mentors are an invaluable source of knowledge and experience for students.
Apply
To qualify for this very selective program, applicants must be a senior or graduate student in the School of Communication with a minimum 3.0 GPA to apply. First year graduate students may apply but must meet GPA requirement by January to participate.
The application period for the 2011-2012 program has ended. Please check back for details regarding the 2012-2013 program. Students who meet all required criteria will be notified of the application deadline via email in August. Applications will require the following:
- Complete Application
- Resume
- Personal Statement
Please send questions to Jill Heitzmann, Senior Advisor for Recruitment & Retention at jill@american.edu.
What the mentors are saying
“The Mentoring Program reminds me that something that may be second nature to me now is a revelation to someone just starting out. [Being a mentor is] a grounding experience that brings you back to AU in the best possible way: through the eyes of a student.”
— Carey Earle, Mentor, four years, Chief Idea Farmer, Green Apple Marketing, Inc.
What the mentees are saying
“The SOC Alumni Mentoring Program was an incredibly rewarding experience for me. I still keep in touch with my mentor, Carey Earle, and she was definitely instrumental in helping me to make the right decision in choosing my current job.”
— Erin Bijas, BA, ’05 Senior Account Executive, MWW Group
Interested Alumni
If you are an SOC alumnus interested in acting as a mentor to current undergraduate and graduate SOC students, please contact Miguel Vieira, SOC Assistant Director of Development, at miguelv@american.edu.
