Students face big decisions with help of alumni mentors Students face big decisions with help of alumni mentors With finals approaching last May, Lesley Said was oddly relaxed and confident. All around, students were crowded at cafe tables, clutching coffee and intensely cramming for finals. Lesley said she owed her well-being, in part, to an engineering mentor who helped her make one of her biggest decisions at Cal. When it came time to choose a major, she says having a mentor helped her where other resources could not.
Mentors advise students about jobs, classes, and approaching school and career decisions.
Many are matched with engineering students, based on common interests, majors, and hometowns. For her mentor, Said chose Kara Kockelman, CE '91 '96 '98, then a doctoral student and now an assistant professor at University of Texas in Austin. Her secrets for success helped both of her mentorees, Said and CEE major Rosalynn Deguzman. Said entered Cal with an excellent academic background as an undeclared engineering science student. She took seminars to explore her engineering interests, but agonized when it came time to choose a major.