Mentor Program Cultivates Industry Relationships for USD International Business Students
Mentorship programs are just one of the many ways that the University of San Diego School of Business prepares students to thrive in the working world.
In the International Business (IB) Club’s mentor program (supported by the Ahlers Center for International Business), students majoring or minoring in international business are paired with mentors who work in an industry of their interest. Students meet with their mentors a few times throughout the semester and, depending on the pairing, receive personal and career coaching, attend company meetings, network with industry professionals, and get the opportunity to ask everything they want to know about a field of international business they’re interested in working in.
Now in its sixth year, the mentor program’s Spring 2021 cohort was its largest yet with 28 international business students participating. Although this was limited to virtual meetings with their mentors due to the pandemic, they got the additional benefit of getting paired with mentors from all over the world including Asia, Europe and Latin America. Typically, students are paired with mentors right here in San Diego so that they can meet in person.
International business students find career guidance from industry leaders
A few of this semester’s mentors included Kimberly Bayle, director of sales at REEF, Rob Palm ‘07 (BBA), VP of international business development at ONYX Technology, and Nathan Strang ‘17 (MSGL), senior trade manager at Flexport, just to name a few. All of these mentors are also USD alumni who were eager to mentor Toreros and give back to the community that helped them get to where they are today in their careers.
Riley Morales, an international business junior, loves studying international business but had no idea how to apply that interest toward a career or job opportunity. When she joined the IB Club’s mentor program, she was paired with Nathan from Flexport, a company that optimizes supply chains by moving freight via air, ocean, and land.
“By engaging in honest conversations about concerns and questions regarding my career path during the mentor program, I was able to identify a number of potential career plans and leave with a real sense of excitement for the future,” said Riley.
Recent graduate Danielle Agnello was matched with Kimberly from REEF, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of sandals. Together, they worked on fine-tuning Danielle’s resume, looked for jobs, and discussed what her next steps would be after graduation to begin her career. Danielle was also invited to a virtual meeting at REEF and connected with another mentor who lives abroad to help her explore job opportunities overseas.
“I invited Danielle to a REEF internal meeting so that she could ask the product team specific questions about product development, strategy, sustainability, and a bit on career development. I think she enjoyed the call and was able to gain a lot of insights from my REEF Women's product team colleagues,” said her mentor, Kimberly.
Turning relationships into career opportunities
While some students join the mentor program to find clarity in their career aspirations, explore industries, make new connections and get a sneak peek into the real world of international business, others find that the mentor program opens the door to long-term opportunities.
For Bennett Williams, a business administration student who graduated with the Class of 2021, the mentor program landed him a coveted internship. His mentor was Rosemary Coates ‘89 (MBA), a management consultant and director of the Reshoring Institute, which also has a partnership with USD’s Supply Chain Management Institute.
“After a couple of mentoring sessions with Bennett, I decided to bring him into the Reshoring Institute’s internship program. Normally we only accept graduate students, but Bennett really impressed me,” said Rosemary.
“Bennett’s internship assignment was to investigate what is driving the development along the U.S.-Mexico border, how it is tied to reshoring, and then write a case study/white paper on what he found. He did a great job and we also had a chance to visit the Otay Mesa Border Crossing as a part of this experiential learning process. Bennett has a very bright future ahead of him.”
For students today, the world is their oyster. Sometimes the most difficult decision a new graduate has to make is what professional path to pursue first. With so many opportunities to be anything you want to be, it can be intimidating to choose just one. Mentorship opportunities such as the IB Club’s mentor program at the USD School of Business give students invaluable guidance and real-world insights from the people who know their industry best. And just as importantly, mentorship programs help students make early-career connections that may just lead them toward their first internship or job.
— Gabrielle Horta