You are invited!

You are formally invited to participate as a mentor in the Brown Women’s Launch Pad program.

Whether you have been a mentor in the past or are just learning about the program for the first time, we hope you will sign up to become a part of our network. The program’s goal is to create a robust pool of mentors who will make themselves available to our members. Mentor pairs are based on student need; therefore, if an alumna in our pool is not given a specific mentee, she will be referenced as a resource and connection for mentees and other mentors.

What is the Women’s Launch Pad?

The Women’s Launch Pad is a structured mentoring program connecting Brown senior class women with alumnae. This effort is inspired by the Brown Women’s Leadership Council (WLC) and administered by the Office of Alumni Relations.

The program provides alumnae participants with the opportunity to make meaningful connections with the next generation of Brown women. Through individual mentoring pairs, students receive guidance from mentors on senior year at Brown and beyond. Mentors often become key touchstones for mentees. Now in its 12th year, our mentoring community has grown to include over 1,800 Brown women and continues to connect women across generations, career paths, and all aspects of senior year, and the transition from Brown.

Guidelines and requirements for mentors

We’ll pair you with a student interested in your field of employment, career path or who shares your background or interests. You can help by offering career guidance, academic advice, and wisdom gained from your personal and professional experiences. This setup provides your mentee an opportunity to build a unique personal relationship and expand her professional network as she prepares for after-graduation plans.

We ask mentors to follow the following criteria:

• Commit to meeting your mentee in person at least once during the academic year.
• Be accessible and approachable. Listen to the questions and concerns of your mentee, and share your thoughts, guidance, and perspective regarding life beyond Brown.
• Be comfortable discussing a range of issues including: guidance in the job search process, exploring new ideas and areas of interest, graduate school, work/life balance, short/long-term career and personal goals, working in a particular career field, and moving to a new part of the world.
• Initiate contact with your mentee a minimum of six times between October and May. These contacts can be via email, Skype, phone or in person. We recommend that at least one contact be in person. Estimated time commitment is ∼ 30 minutes per month.
• Provide a brief biographical sketch that will be included in the program guidebook.
• Be open to hearing from other mentees in the program.

Sign-up takes just a few minutes.

If you are interested, please sign up by June 11, 2018. By completing this brief mentor information form, you confirm your interest in mentoring a senior female student for the upcoming academic year.

*Note: If you mentored in the 2017-2018 academic year, please re-apply.

Thank you for your consideration and please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about the Women’s Launch Pad.

All the best,

Andra Greene Ellingson ’78,
Mentoring Committee Co-Chair

Gladys Mendez ’94,
Mentoring Committee Co-Chair

Johanna Hussey,
Assistant Director, Engagement Programs, Office of Alumni Relations