SIPA Alumni

SIPA Alumni-Student Career Mentoring Program

SIPA’s graduates are making an impact across the globe as leaders in government, private sector, and non-governmental organizations and they play a vital role in providing career support to current SIPA students as mentors, speakers at career events, and through expanding SIPA’s network of potential employers with job and internship opportunities for SIPA graduates.

SIPA’s Alumni-Student Career Mentoring Program offers a unique opportunity for alumni to work one-on-one with a student over the course of an academic year as a mentor. Each year since 2021, we have matched approximately 40 alumni volunteers with 50 current students to provide career guidance and support during the students' graduate studies and professional advice for after graduation from SIPA. All students are welcome to apply. However, space in the program is limited and matches are made where the students’ interests and preferences expressed in their application are best aligned with the experience and expertise of available alumni volunteers. For the 2025-26 academic year, we plan to expand the program to 60 matches.

Alumni mentors volunteer their time to share their SIPA and professional experience and knowledge with students to enhance their SIPA experience, while also building a stronger community and professional network for students and alumni.  While mentors serve as a valuable career resource to students, they may also gain insights that help them in their own careers.

Program participants will be provided with program guidelines, best practices for the mentor-mentee relationship, and suggested topics for monthly 1:1 meetings.  Alumni volunteers are expected to participate in an orientation with SIPA’s Career Advancement Center in the fall, which will also be made available as a recording.

Once participants are notified of their matches in November, mentors are asked to initiate contact with their mentee to introduce themselves and schedule the introductory meeting by mid-December. Mentors and mentees should meet a minimum of once per month through the end of the academic year.

The program is a joint initiative of the Career Advancement Center, Alumni Relations, and Student Affairs.  A committee of staff from these offices will make the matches based on student interests and other information provided by the students and alumni.

Alumni Mentors

Alumni who are interested in serving as mentors are asked to complete an application providing information about their professional experience, areas of expertise, and a bio. The bios for alumni who are selected as mentors will be shared with prospective student participants.

Applications for the 2025-26 academic year are now closed. Please contact Susan Storms, Director of Alumni Relations, at [email protected] if you would like to learn more about the mentoring program and other ways to support SIPA students. 

Students

Applications for students will be available through the Career Advancement Center during the last week of September along with the mentor bios.  Students will be asked to provide information about their career interests, goals for working with a mentor, and their ranked choices of alumni mentors. The student application deadline is Monday, October 13, 2025.

Students who would like additional information should contact Carla Espinoza, Associate Director of Career Services (CAC), at [email protected] or Meg Heenehan, Executive Director, Career Advancement Center (CAC), at [email protected].   

Program Timeline for 2025-26