`Runners return - How to connect with your dream mentor

By California State University, Bakersfield

July 29^th, 2021

Students often have questions about how to choose a major, whether to go to graduate school and how to find their ideal job. Who better to answer those questions than CSUB graduates who have been in their shoes and are successful in their field?

That’s why the CSUB Alumni Association offers `RunnerBridge and the `Runner Alumni Mentor Program.

`RUNNERBRIDGE

`RunnerBridge is a website similar to LinkedIn where all CSUB students, from freshmen to graduate students, can search for CSUB alumni with degrees and jobs of interest to them. Then they can reach out to those alumni online to ask questions or seek advice about school or career. It’s also a great way to start building a professional network, which is key to finding and landing jobs.

Students, alumni, faculty and staff can sign up for `RunnerBridge at runnerbridge.csub.edu.

`RUNNER ALUMNI MENTOR PROGRAM

The `Runner Alumni Mentor Program is a more formal mentoring program that pairs juniors, seniors and graduate students with alumni and some friends of the university one-on-one for a full academic year. They meet up about once a month and complete a series of career-preparation activities such as resume review, LinkedIn profile creation, interview practice, job shadowing and introductions to professional contacts.

RAMP was launched in 2018. For the 2020-2021 academic year, we matched up 113 mentees with 108 mentors.

RAMP mentees have landed jobs and internships as a result of relationships they built with their mentors. An aspiring journalist secured a dream job in television news. A physics senior landed not one but two internships with NASA. A junior found the job in medicine he needed for an application to medical school. A recent graduate credits her mentor for helping her gain confidence and an internship to jumpstart her career in book publishing.

You can hear from past mentees and mentors yourself, including President Lynnette Zelezny, a proud mentor.

Students and alumni must apply to be admitted into RAMP. For 2021-22, the deadline for alumni is Aug. 31, 2021, and for students is Sept. 24, 2021.

Coming to campus? Get your vaccination!

All CSUB students, faculty and staff accessing campus for the 2021 fall semester are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The vaccines are free and the best way to protect you and your community from coronavirus. CSUB is offering vaccines on Aug. 3, 11 and 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Stockdale Room.