Another Way to Give Back

No career journey is a straight line, but some degrees offer more twists and turns than others. For example, if you study civil engineering, you’ll probably find work building bridges or dams or other infrastructure. However, studying psychology or English can bring you into any industry—opening so many doors, it can be overwhelming to know where to start.

This was the inspiration behind the Career Center and Alumni Relations’ new Alumni-Student Mentorship Program in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Housed within the Bronco Exchange online platform, the program’s first session paired roughly 90 students with 80 alumni mentors based on industry alignment, majors, and other factors.

“Our alumni in the humanities and social sciences have so much experience in so many different industries—from law to publishing, tech to healthcare,” explains Shauna Strauss, an assistant director of career development at the Career Center. “We think it’s valuable for current students to see that they’re not pigeonholed in one area. Your ultimate career journey is really shaped by your interests and exploration during your undergrad years.”

Communication major Amy Suh ’25 had already taken advantage of several mentorship opportunities from department faculty, but in her senior year, getting a post-graduate job in the film industry was top of mind and a key reason why she chose to participate in the alumni mentorship program.

While her mentor Mary Shepherd ’17 doesn’t work in film, she was once a communication major herself, uncertain about what was to come after graduation. Not only did her life experience offer valuable insight, but as an employee engagement manager for an educational technology company, Shepherd specializes in using many of the skills and lessons she gained at Santa Clara to help employees at her company discover their full potential and explore career pathways.

“That’s why I love being a communication major—it gives you so much versatility while still giving you a common ground with other communication majors,” Suh says. “Even though Mary is in a different industry, her job and where I want to work are both people-orientated and share a lot of soft and technical skills.”

During their first meeting, one of the most valuable lessons Shepherd gave was encouraging Suh to learn more about herself by taking the CliftonStrengths assessment—an assessment she herself first took as a senior at Santa Clara. This online assessment helps someone identify their innate strengths based on their natural tendencies, with concrete tips on how to improve those skills.

The CliftonStrengths assessment, Shepherd says, goes hand-in-hand with having a growth mindset—something she came to understand as a Bronco student-athlete.

“My volleyball coaches Jon Wallace and Aaron Mansfield really stressed the importance of having a growth mindset as a team. They even had us read a book about it. That growth mindset and what I learned from the CliftonStrengths assessment have really helped me in all aspects of my life,” Shepherd explains.

By paying forward these lessons to Suh, Shepherd hopes to be one of the figures people remember when they reflect on who had an impact on their life journey.

“The amount of opportunities that Santa Clara has opened up for me has just been tremendous. It’s like a ripple effect,” she adds. “One of the reasons why I joined this mentorship program is that it’s a way to give back and give thanks for all of the things Santa Clara has brought into my life.”

As the program’s first session continues through mid-March, Suh is grateful that her mentor lives just an hour’s drive away. Being able to meet in person on top of email and phone check-ins is a huge bonus that has allowed her and Shepherd to work together on Suh’s post-grad resume and practice interview questions over coffee. Shepherd has also taken it upon herself to learn more about the film industry through her network to better support Suh’s goals.

That level of above-and-beyond support has been a hallmark of the program thus far, says Strauss, who hopes to run more mentorship sessions in the future, extending to include even more majors.

“I’ve been so impressed with how Santa Clara’s alumni network has enthusiastically proven that they want to support current students in this way,” Strauss says. “Who you have in your network is such a key factor in a successful job or internship search, so I hope students see this program as a warm invitation for them to make those kinds of connections.”