{"id":20226,"date":"2022-12-07T16:54:59","date_gmt":"2022-12-07T22:54:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/?p=20226"},"modified":"2023-12-05T10:44:31","modified_gmt":"2023-12-05T16:44:31","slug":"when-panthers-mentor-panthers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus-2022\/when-panthers-mentor-panthers\/","title":{"rendered":"When Panthers mentor Panthers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Natalie Hernandez felt disconnected. It was fall 2020, COVID-19 was in full swing and she was taking virtual 51ÁÔÆæ courses from her parents\u2019 home in Illinois. She was also doubting whether she should continue pursuing her architecture major.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Then came the lifeline: a 51ÁÔÆæ Alumni Association email about its Mentoring Program. \u201cI thought, \u2018You know what? I feel like I need a mentor,\u2019\u201d says Hernandez, a firstgeneration college student. So she signed up.<\/p>\n

The Alumni Association paired Hernandez with Kate Riordan, a city of Milwaukee transportation planner. Riordan, who earned a 51ÁÔÆæ master\u2019s degree in urban planning in 2013, spent a lot of time talking to Hernandez about her own career and her projects at work. She also served as a reassuring sounding board for Hernandez.<\/p>\n

It was exactly what Hernandez needed and exactly what the Alumni Association envisioned when launching the program in spring 2020. \u201cJust to have that emotional support then was great,\u201d Hernandez says. \u201cShe helped me when I was deciding to change majors from architecture to urban studies. She went through the whole emotional roller coaster with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

It would be a full year before Hernandez and Riordan could meet in person, but their partnership has now passed the twoyear mark. They\u2019re one of the Mentoring Program\u2019s 50 active matches.<\/p>\n

Riordan\u2019s mentorship goes beyond nutsand-bolts tasks, like providing feedback on Hernandez\u2019s resume, preparing her for job interviews and helping build a professional network. She also understood Hernandez\u2019s struggle with settling on a major and helped talk her through it.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy first piece of advice for Natalie was to be sure you get what you want out of school,\u201d says Riordan, who wished she\u2019d spent more time pondering whether to pursue her own bachelor\u2019s degree in business.<\/p>\n

Hernandez has developed a renewed sense of confidence in her urban studies degree, which she\u2019s on track to earn in 2023.<\/p>\n

And her conversations with Riordan provided a better understanding of what urban planning entails, which led to a new appreciation for why people would want to work for a city.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get to reach a lot of different communities and have a positive influence,\u201d Hernandez says.<\/p>\n

The Mentoring Program welcomes alumni wanting to help current students. Learn more at alumni.uwm.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n

By Laura Otto, University Relations<\/em><\/strong><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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