Running Together

Online alumni-student mentoring comes to CSUB

By California State University, Bakersfield

August 3^rd, 2020

If there’s one thing we’ve learned this year, it’s the power of technology to bring people together when they need it most.

When COVID-19 hit, teachers turned to Google Classroom to provide instruction and friends turned to Zoom for Happy Hour.

So the CSUB Office of Alumni Engagement is excited to launch `RunnerBridge, an online networking and mentoring platform available to CSUB alumni, students, faculty and staff, and some friends of the university.

On `RunnerBridge:

All CSUB students, from freshmen to graduate students, will be able to reach out to alumni, faculty and staff for school and career advice.
CSUB alumni, faculty and staff will be able to network with each other, or simply re-connect socially.
Alumni, students and non-alumni professionals will be able to apply for our more formal `Runner Alumni Mentor Program. They will also interact on the site and have access to communication tools, suggested goals and resources to help them make the most of their mentoring relationship.
Students new to networking and mentoring will have tools that guide them every step of the way, even helping them craft a professional email.

“The vast knowledge and experience of our CSUB alumni family, more than 50,000 strong, is in large part an untapped resource for our students,” said CSUB Director of Alumni Engagement Sarah Hendrick. “‘RunnerBridge will allow alumni to support them on their academic paths and in their career aspirations.

“Alumni will have a tool for professional development and be able to network with classmates, faculty and staff.”

And the beauty of `RunnerBridge is that they can do those things from anywhere in the world.

Students who may want advice about living in another city or choosing a certain career path can ask alumni living in that city or working in that field. Young alumni looking to make a career change can tap the expertise and insights of their more experienced counterparts.

“`RunnerBridge is exactly that, a bridge to these opportunities,” Hendrick said.

`RunnerBridge will launch to CSUB alumni, faculty and staff on Aug. 3. They will receive an email with instructions for easy sign-up. Or they can sign up with their email address, LinkedIn profile or CSUB credentials.

“`RunnerBridge is exactly that, a bridge to these opportunities."

The story of CSUB alum Abel Morelos and senior Marcos Figueroa illustrated the power of online mentoring earlier this year. The two were matched up through the `Runner Alumni Mentor Program and all but one of their interactions were online or by phone.

Morelos, who coordinates internships for NASA, mentored from his home in Silicon Valley. Figueroa, a physics student, was in Bakersfield. Morelos coached Figueroa through everything from crafting a professional LinkedIn page to polishing his resume to applying for internships.

Figueroa landed not one but two NASA internships, the second one to help develop drones for the U.S. Coast Guard to carry out search-and-rescue missions.