Alumni Engagement Council Hosts Mentoring Event

The Circle of Success mentoring group, an offshoot of the Alumni Engagement Council (AEC) at the CUNY School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS), hosted a new type of virtual mentoring event for students and alum on April 27.

Entitled “Can You Determine Your Own Success?” the mentoring event was co-sponsored by City Tutors, a no-cost learning and career organization for New Yorkers who have been historically locked out of individualized academic and professional development services.

The online event drew over forty students from several CUNY campuses, including CUNY SPS, Hunter College, City College, Brooklyn College, and New York City College of Technology, to connect with professionals from various business spheres through City Tutor’s network of mentors.

Nidia Cordova, alumni relations manager at CUNY SPS and organizer of the event, was thrilled to see the council expand its important mentoring work.

“Mentorship opportunities are very important to the Alumni Engagement Council at CUNY SPS. I’m so proud of their leadership of this program,” Cordova said. “We’re so excited to partner with City Tutors and their amazing team.”

To start the evening, Interim Dean Jorge Silva-Puras provided welcoming remarks for the students, alums, and mentors, noting how critically important alum involvement is for the School.

After opening statements, CUNY SPS Circle of Success member and alum Lisa Sheridan (BA in Communications and Media), moderated a panel of fellow alum mentors who offered student attendees strategies for classroom and post-graduate success.

Panel members included Patrycja Golinska (MS in Business Management and Leadership), Kris Senior (MS in Business Management and Leadership), Stephen Ippolito (BA in Sociology and MA Disability Studies), and Tye Brown (BS in Business and MS Business Management and Leadership).

Throughout the conversation, the alumni panel stressed a recurrent theme on the importance of growing and utilizing networks. Golinska took note that the attending mentors were sharing contact information and encouraged the students to capitalize on the opportunity to connect.

“We've got amazing people here tonight dropping their LinkedIn contacts in the chat. Connect with these people. Build that network.” Golinska further emphasized, “There’s always more to learn---attending meetings, attending conferences. They're a Google or LinkedIn search away. You’ll find these things pull together, and your network will help you make it happen.”

Following the panel discussion, students were randomly split up into mini-workshop groups where they were teamed with the AEC panelists and over 20 of City Tutor’s volunteer mentors, who hailed from companies such as Google, IBM, BET Media Group/Paramount Global, Bloomberg LP, The New York Times, Oracle, and the Department of Education.

CUNY SPS alum Courtney McKane (BA in Communications and Media) reflected on the conversation from her breakout session.

“During the breakout group, I listened and was impressed at how honest and encouraging the mentors were. One mentor said even if we need a right now job to pay the bills, remind ourselves ‘this isn’t my forever.’” McKane said. “The overall theme I gathered from the night was that we need to keep evolving and moving forward to attain our goals and our version of success.”

After the event, Milan Fredricks (BA in Communications and Media), a veteran mentor in the AEC’s Circle of Success program, expressed pride in the growth and involvement of the CUNY SPS alum community.

“As a proud and active alum, I very much enjoyed seeing, and participating in, the tradition of mentoring and 'paying it forward' at CUNY SPS,” Fredricks said. “One of the best things about CUNY SPS is its dedication to its students and their personal and career development. The Circle of Success and the City Tutors collaborative event is just another excellent example of that dedication.”

About the CUNY SPS Alumni Engagement Council

The Alumni Engagement Council (AEC) serves as ambassadors for the CUNY School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS) events and other activities, connecting the School to increase awareness of the many services available through the Office of Alumni Relations, to encourage a larger and more diverse participation in the programs, and to initiate new ways to communicate with the growing alumni population. For further information or to join the AEC, please contact alumni@sps.cuny.edu or (646) 664-8661.

About the CUNY School of Professional Studies

As New York's leading online school since 2006, the CUNY School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS) offers the most online bachelor's and master's degree options at the City University of New York, and serves as the University's first undergraduate all-transfer college. With 26 degrees and numerous other non-degree and grant-funded workplace learning programs, CUNY SPS meets the needs of adults who wish to finish a bachelor's degree, progress from an associate's degree, earn a master's degree or certificate in a specialized field, and advance in the workplace or change careers. Consistently ranked highly by U.S. News & World Report for its online offerings, CUNY SPS has emerged as a nationwide leader in online education. The School's renowned and affordable online programs ensure that busy working adults may fulfill their educational goals on their own time and schedule.

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