The closing event was an opportunity to thank the alumni mentors and to really celebrate the positive impact they have had on the 3rd and 4th year undergraduate students, as they prepare to successfully transition into their future careers.
The Alumni Mentoring Programme is a core aspect of the School’s coaching culture and is a collaboration between the Student Development Team and the Alumni Team.
This year, over 100 undergraduate students were supported by a total of 80 alumni mentors, one of the largest cohorts of mentors on the programme. Many are returning mentors, demonstrating the positive experience and support they receive throughout their time as mentors.
Programme Lead, Rebecca Gallacher, took time to thank the mentors:
“As a School, we all really appreciate the time you give to mentoring, that you are happy to engage with us, and be part of our community. Perhaps most important though is the appreciation from your student mentees, which is almost unfathomable in terms of how impactful the mentoring relationships have been on them this year.”
Rebecca shared a wonderful collation of ‘stories of impact’ videos from students sharing how much they have benefited from their mentoring relationships, covering everything from career insights, personal and professional development, confidence, networking, and preparing for the world of work.
Head of Coaching, Rona Doig, then shared insights into the ongoing programme improvements and quality assurance, to ensure that the School continues to deliver best practice mentoring standards. She also updated on the further development of continuous professional development drop-in sessions, which were trialled this year, to support both new and more experienced mentors.
The event concluded with a chance for alumni mentors to share the learnings they gained from their mentoring experience.
Volunteer to be an alumni mentor
Each summer we recruit alumni mentors for the forthcoming academic year. If you are an alum of the Business School and would like to express interest or wish to know more about mentoring, please contact the UEBS Alumni Team on alumni@business-school.ed.ac.uk