Share Your Expertise Alumni Mentoring

You can provide valuable support and guidance to current Scholars no matter where they are in their educational journey.

Volunteer Portal

Mentoring On-Demand

Alumni interested in mentoring, but not able to make a long-term commitment can join Penn State's LionLink platform at any time. Once you've registered you can connect with any Penn Stater to act as a short or long-term mentor. Alumni can also connect with other alumni to be mentored through the platform.

You can register for LionLink with an e-mail address or using your LinkedIn account. After you register, you can create a profile, which will be used for searching and connecting with mentors/mentees.

Mentoring with Honors

Alumni interested in a more structured program can join the Schreyer Honors College Mentoring with Honors program.

This program pairs current Scholars with Scholar Alumni in a one-year professional relationship to gain guidance in their career journey. Mentors and mentees typically connect around topics, such as career development and decision making. Many Scholars and alumni stay in touch beyond the academic year and some form life-long connections.

Program Overview

Mentoring with Honors is open to Schreyer Scholars at any campus. Scholars are matched with a Scholar Alumni for one year. While we often try to pair Scholars and alumni who have similar fields of interest, Scholars paired with alumni outside of their field still greatly benefit from the relationship and guidance an alumnus/a has to offer.

Each mentor/mentee pair is unique based on the goals of the Scholar and the expertise of the alumnus/a. Conversations will vary, but Scholars may want to focus discussions around topics, such as:

• Choosing a major
• Career exploration
• Graduate/professional school decisions and preparation
• Goal setting
• Career or skill development
• Resume feedback
• Professional communcations/networking
• Transitioning to the work world or graduate/professional school
• Navigating the thesis process

The mentoring relationship is student-driven, and the goals for the year as well as decisions around how often to meet are agreed upon by the mentor and mentee. Meetings will typically take place online, and it is generally expected that mentors and mentees meet about once a month.

Registration Process and Timeline

To register for Mentoring with Honors, alumni first need a LionLink account. You can register for LionLink with an e-mail address or using your LinkedIn account. After registering and completing your profile, you may need to wait to be approved into the platform. Once you are able to access LionLink, join the Mentoring with Honors program by navigating to the Schreyer Mentoring with Honors landing page and clicking the "Join" button. You will have to complete a short application form and will receive an e-mail notification once you have been added into the program.

We match the bulk of our Scholars with alumni each fall and we strive, but can't guarantee, matching all our alumni volunteers with a Scholar. Alumni who receive a mentee match in the fall will be notified via e-mail at the end of October. Alumni may be matched with a Scholar outside that timeline on a case-by-case basis. Alumni who we are unable to match will receive an e-mail as well.