After a brief stint in a pop/rock band in London and earning a psychology degree from Hunter College, Christopher Blake, a graduate student at UB, was still stumped in his search for a career.
Throughout his 20s, Blake dabbled in every job title from employment counselor to museum events coordinator.
Finally, at age 31, he found inspiration in the form of a mentor.
Kimberly Coen was Blake's next-door neighbor and close friend, and a successful senior manager in the film industry. She recognized his zeal for movies and writing, and encouraged him to pursue a graduate degree in English and media studies.
Some students enter college knowing exactly what they wish to study. Others make a career choice after years of being undecided. The remainder of students, many like Blake, need some assistance in choosing a path that is right for them - and they often turn to mentoring programs.
Aref Hassan, a doctoral candidate in the Political Science Department, said UB is the type of setting that would create the need for guidance.
"One of the shortcomings of being in a large public research institution like UB is that faculty members are less able to nurture one-on-one relationships with students," said Hassan.
Like Blake, Hassan said his career aspirations were uninspired for several years until he received a firm boost from a mentor.
Blake took his mentor's advice and worked his way toward graduating from UB in May after which he plans to launch his career in screenwriting.
Blake is one of many students and who have benefited from mentoring and people are taking notice and joining the process. In recent years, organized mentoring programs such as Big Brother Big Sisters, Colin Powell's America's Promise, and the Harvard Mentoring Project have almost doubled its number of participants.
According to a USAToday.com article posted on Jan. 26, the number of one-to-one matches for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, which is a subsidiary of the National Mentoring Partnership, has gone from 110,000 in 1999 to 210,000 in 2003.
Blake credits his mentor with getting his life on track and inspiring him to pursue his career.
"Kimberly taught me that a creative career can actually lead to lucrative and stable employment," said Blake. "Most of all, she saw potential in me that I didn't know existed. She used to say, 'sometimes it takes a while for that fire to ignite under your behind, but when it does, make sure it really burns.' "
Christa Greenberg, an academic advisor in the Psychology Department, teaches a course in peer mentoring and coordinates the Peer Mentor Program available to UB students.
"Mentoring is essential to students' academic, professional, as well as personal growth and should be a relationship they cultivate their entire lives," Greenberg said.
Laura Godwin, a senior career counselor at UB's Career Planning and Placement, said she actively promotes services for UB alumni contacts to meet students seeking career mentors.
Godwin encourages those interested to visit the Career Planning and Placement Web site at www.ub-careers.buffalo.edu.
"In the job market that our new graduates are facing, networking with mentors is going to be a key component of a successful job or internship search, in any field," Godwin said.
For those on the receiving end, a mentor's kindness can have life altering results and some mentors said offering assistance to others was a reward in itself.
Jamil Crews, a senior music business major and African-American studies major, said taking the time to be an Educational Opportunity mentor was something he remembers fondly.
"I wanted to be able to share some of my experiences with the incoming freshmen," Crews said.
Crews encouraged students who in the position to become mentors
Alicia Lamanna of the Erie County Big Brothers/Big Sisters program also encouraged students to consider becoming mentors.
"By giving just two to three hours per week of your time, and simply being an adult friend and role model, you can have an amazing impact on a lost child with a damaged self-esteem," she said.
