I will boldly say that most of us had little idea when we were in (undergraduate) school that we would end up at Fletcher. We all had interests but may have been unsure about where to start developing our talents, and where they would lead us. One of the strengths of Fletcher is the diversity of the student body, the many differing paths of life experiences that led us here.

As we look ahead to post-Fletcher employment (and seek alumni advice), perhaps we should offer the benefit of our experience to the new crop of undergrads currently struggling with career dilemmas. I propose a mentorship program in which Tufts students are paired with Fletcher students on the basis of a common major, career or ethnic interest.

You may say, "But I don't know where I'm going, how can I possibly give advice?" That may be true. But the bottom line is that you have been there: worked with the Peace Corps, grown up in Budapest, majored in Spanish yet been assigned to Lithuania, worked in the private sector or even staffed on Capitol Hill. Our collective experiences at Fletcher are a gold mine. If we can share them with eager (and perhaps uncertain) undergrads, it's a win-win situation for all concerned. Who knows, the very act of describing your choices may even force you to come to grips with where you would like to proceed from here.

How do we do it? If the Fletcher Mentor program is publicized (in the Tufts Daily, in Brown and Brew, at Tisch Library) we can generate undergrad interest in being paired with a Fletcher student with a similar background. Actually making the connection can be as easy as having the interested undergrad post a request on the Fletcher listserv (or Fletcher Ledger message board) to which sympathetic Fletcherites can respond.

It's simple. We have the experience, we all want to help... let's do it!

Comments? Write us at letter@fletcherledger.com

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