Students and young alumni are responsible to for reaching out to alumni, so be on the lookout for emails from Odyssey Mentoring Program notifying you of their messages or requests for mentorship. Here are a few suggestions on how to get started.

CONNECTING WITH CURRENT STUDENTS OR YOUNG ALUMNI

• Meet for coffee, breakfast or lunch in a public space.

• Attend an on-campus event such as the mentoring kickoff or a coffee chat.

• Participate in activities related to common interests.

• Be approachable and accessible by telephone and/or email.

• Take part in Columbia College Alumni Association mentoring activities.

In addition to making relationships with current students and young alumni, you might also be interested in creating other contacts within the Columbia College Alumni network. Here are a few suggestions on how to reach out through the Odyssey Mentoring Program.

CONNECTING WITH OTHER ALUMNI

• Mention what drew you to the alum’s profile so they know why you’ve reached out.

• Say a bit about who you are: where you live or, if relevant, where you’re from, what you do or what fields you’re interested in.

• Briefly indicate what you’d like to connect about: professional opportunities, expanding your network, an introduction at a company or graduate school, or asking a question about how you can build a skill they have.

• Suggest a way to continue the conversation: an email reply, a phone call or a meetup.

From there, click Contact and your new connection will be notified via email, making it easy for them to reply if they wish to do so.