Mentorship Program Success
The future of business begins today with the training and education provided at the College of Business and Public Administration at the University of North Dakota. We believe in providing progressive curriculums and hands-on learning for students to network and engage with business leaders and alumni. Through our new Mentorship Program, we are making the connection to engage students with successful business professionals.
JJ Schlangen, a sophomore majoring in Accountancy, did not waste any time in taking advantage of this new opportunity within the CoBPA. When he heard of the new mentorship program, JJ knew exactly the kind of mentor with whom he wanted to be connected with. JJ wanted to find a CPA who was local to the Grand Forks area. To get started in this program, JJ said he visited the Pancratz Career Development Center, where he had to sign-up and submit a resume for review. He was currently pursuing positions, so he already had a resume ready to go. Once he was registered, he was able to go into the mentor database and begin reviewing profiles of prospective mentors. He ran across the profile of Scott Stinar, a CoBPA Alumni, Advisory Council Member and CPA at Brady Martz. Scott had many professional experiences that JJ is aspiring to complete. After selecting Scott, the Career Center Director setup the connection between the mentor and the mentee. Both being local in Grand Forks, Scott and JJ determined that they would meet once a month and give JJ the opportunity to engage in questions and conversations with Scott. "Scott is very open, and I can ask him very specific questions," said JJ. JJ had been in the process of interviewing for positions and received two job offers from PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte. "Scott is a major reason that I got offered the jobs that I did," said JJ. Scott and JJ had met before the interviews, providing JJ with the opportunity to ask various questions. Scott, being a recruiter for Brady Martz, was also able to provide additional insight based on the criteria he typically looks for in recruiting. Scott indicated that he was happy to get involved and help the Mentorship Program at the CoBPA.
When asked about getting involved with a mentor JJ said, "This is absolutely for everyone, and I recommend getting involved with a mentor somewhere. They have been through the process you're going through, so get involved!" Scott indicated that when working with a mentee, he tries to put it in their court and asks them questions and discusses issues to see what they can accomplish together by getting them to think about a variety of topics. "I try to use my experiences to increase his awareness of what he may want to do, challenges he may face, and areas he may not have considered," says Scott.
JJ is very appreciative of the time that he has been able to spend with his mentor Scott Stinar and says that he was very lucky as Scott was a president and shareholder of Brady Martz, and has worked in a variety of capacities in accounting. "Scott has done everything that I would like to do," says JJ. JJ says that he will definitely stay connected with Scott after graduation and looks to him for professional advice and guidance as he begins his career after graduation.
If you are interested in getting involved as mentor or a mentee, please contact Kathy Lund, Career and Academic Advisor and Assessment Coordinator at kathy.lund@business.und.edu or 701.777.3628.