Orange County Branch Newsletter

December 2018

ASCE OC YMF

2018-19 Mentorship Program Kicks Off Fast!

By Bryant Wong, PE, ENV SP

The 2018-19 ASCE OC Branch Mentorship Program has gotten off to a fast start! Literally!

This year’s program got the year going with its first activity on September 18 and 19 by conducting “speed” interviews between 16 mentors and 18 protégés at Iteris, Inc., in Santa Ana, CA. These are 5-minute, highly focused, get-to-know-you discussions between prospective mentors and protégés so that they can identify their top 3 preferences. With their inputs, the Mentorship Committee will be trying to best match mentors to protégés. The final matches will be announced at the Mentorship Program Kickoff Event on October 30^th.

The Mentorship Program pairs young engineering professionals with experienced engineering managers and technologists in a program that will allow them to both benefit. The protégés benefit from the long-term perspective and career advice of the mentors, while mentors gain the satisfaction of helping develop the next generation of civil engineers.

The mentoring program is designed to begin and end within a 12-month period. The mentors and protégés develop their own communication format and frequency that works best for them. Past mentors and protégés have centered their talks around a variety of one-to-one activities, such as meal-times, coffee-breaks, hikes, golf outings, etc. In addition, the Mentorship Program organizes several group events, including the Kickoff, a Mid-Year Check-in, the Year-end Banquet, and other social events.

This year marks the 5^th year of this highly popular program. It originated with the OC Branch and has received recognition from ASCE National.