Graduate students find career direction through mentorship

Amid research deadlines, teaching commitments and the challenge of planning for life after graduation, many grad students rarely have the opportunity to pause and reflect on their academic and professional paths. The GRADMentors program offered that opportunity, with mentorship and conversation helping them gain greater clarity and direction.

This year, the Tri-Mentoring Program and Graduate Leadership Institute partnered to offer graduate students a unique dual mentorship experience: mentoring undergraduate students while also receiving career guidance from industry professionals. The GRADMentors and Graduate Career Mentoring programs connected students at different stages of their academic and professional journeys. Undergraduate students gained insight into job applications, research opportunities and grad school life, while graduate students were encouraged to reflect with an industry professional on their own experiences, goals and career paths.

"At GLI, we combine leadership workshops and coaching with hands-on opportunities for graduate students and postdocs to practice leadership in real-world settings," said Graduate Leadership Institute Director Dr. Wilson Leung. "Our partnership with the Tri-Mentoring Program to establish GRADMentors has been a key part of our mission to help emerging scholars become influential leaders."

By pairing mentorship with practical leadership experience, the program creates opportunities for graduate students to develop the skills and confidence needed to support others while advancing their own professional growth.

"Graduate school can sometimes feel more isolating than undergraduate studies," said graduate student mentor Evgenia Silajev. "The GRADMentors program helps rebuild a sense of community by reminding students that they are not alone in feeling uncertain or needing guidance."

Silajev, who mentored three undergraduate students this year, joined the program to offer the kind of support she wished she had received as an undergraduate.

"I wanted to provide the kind of guidance I would have appreciated during my own undergraduate experience," she said. "Choosing a graduate path can feel overwhelming, and I hoped to offer even a small sense of clarity or support."

While graduate students shared their experiences and offered guidance to undergraduates navigating decisions about graduate school and future careers, they also gained valuable opportunities to reflect on their own journeys, strengthen their leadership skills, and clarify their academic and professional goals.

For Master of Professional Communication (MPC) student Massimo Bozzo, mentoring offered an opportunity to give back while gaining perspective on his own journey.

"It helped me reflect on my experiences as a student while helping undergraduates with theirs," said Bozzo, who was matched with a student interested in the MPC program.

Bozzo also participated in the Graduate Career Mentoring program as a mentee, connecting with an industry professional in communications and marketing.

"Learning from my mentor about the journey rather than just the outcome helped me plan my own journey and build my future career today," he said.

Through mentorship, graduate students are not only guiding others as they navigate their academic and professional journeys but are also gaining the perspective and confidence to shape their own. By creating space for shared reflection, the GRADMentors and the Graduate Career Mentoring Program empower students to engage in meaningful, informed conversations that clarify their goals, expand their possibilities and help them confidently chart their future careers.