ALUMN I PROFESS I ONALS
ALUMNI MENTORS YOU SHOULD KNOW We are enormously proud of our St. Thomas alumni and their generosity of spirit as somany support students and fellow alumni through networking andmentorship. All alumni can network with one another or sign up tomentor students using St. Thomas Connect. This free online tool is exclusively for St. Thomas alumni and students.
MatthewArcaro ’16MBA Director, supply chain process design, Target Corp., Minneapolis, Minnesota Matthew Arcaro offers this advice to mentors and mentees, “Plan the time and be honest on what you are trying to achieve. Not every mentorship will be a connection, which is expected! Be purposeful and have a clear understanding of what you are trying to get out of it.” Arcaro said the Tommie Network has been critical in his own career growth. “I run into fellow Tommies at work and have been able to start relationships enabling my network to grow, even in areas outside of my current field of work,” he said. He honed his networking skills while studying abroad in London, his most memorable St. Thomas experience. “We met with several leaders from world-renowned companies, organizations and governments. The first part of each day was organized around concepts, background of the company and the impact of the leader. The second part of our day was hands-on with case studies related to what we learned,” he said. “This direct application of concepts while seeking perspectives and feedback from peers and senior leaders was invaluable to developing my own perspectives.”
Corey Nicolas Collins ’12MBA President, brand consultant and designer, Cordavii Brand Consulting, Edina, Minnesota “My fondest memories as a student were discovering the breadth of knowledge and expertise that my fellowMBA classmates brought to the table,” Corey Nicolas Collins said. “As an entrepreneur, I was able to lean on the knowledge I gained from fellow classmates and enjoyed watching the future successes they brought to the Twin Cities ecosystem.” Those colleagues remain a critical network for Collins as he grows in his career. “Understanding you have an outstanding network of fellow Tommies who have walked through similar experiences as you have while growing as professionals and individuals is powerful. Being able to connect with fellowTommies who I attended class with provides somuch fresh insight and perspective as I continuemy career.” Collins has given back as amentor to other Tommies and encourages others to do the same. “Be open and explore!While no one gets a roadmap to their career or life's learned experiences, being open and always learning has provided a depth of newperspectives very hard to reach on your own without nurturing relationships, either as amentor or mentee,” he said.
Kate Jeter ’00 Managing director, Healthxchange, London, England Kate Jeter credits alumnus Mark Weeks ’92 for the strong Tommie Network in London. “Several years ago, he organized us into an alumni group. And while we’re close-knit, we are very welcoming to new or visiting alumni,” Jeter said. “Through the group I’ve found a real community of individuals who I feel a meaningful connection with; they are terrific people who are all so encouraging and kind, and in a city as big as London, I would never have met them without St. Thomas as the common denominator.” In her experience as a mentor, she encourages both parties to be prepared and ready to commit to the time it takes for genuine results. “I think that establishing a commitment to your mentor or mentee is really important and come to the table ready for a conversation. Prepare questions and your own talking points to help guide the relationship and conversation,” she said. “Whether it’s a one-off half-hour to share career experiences or a longer-term monthly meeting, it’s so important to commit to making the time.”
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