January’s Mentee of the Month: Shayan Khan CC'21

Congratulations to Shayan Khan CC'21 for being selected as our Mentee of the Month for January. Shayan is an Economics and Computer Science major who has connected with multiple mentors on the Odyssey Mentoring Platform.

Interview with Shayan Khan CC'21

What advice would you give an alumnus/a who is looking to mentor a student?

An alum actively seeking out a mentee should have a well-organized profile filled with buzzwords associated with their field of work. For example, if a person works in the financial industry, tags such as finance, banking, capital markets and so on make it easier for prospective mentees to find a profile that matches their interests. Mentors also should notify their mentees of the level of commitment and the amount of time they’re willing to invest so that mentors aren’t overwhelmed with emails and mentees respect the mentor’s time constraints.

What has been the most helpful part of being a mentee?

Having the support of individuals willing to assist me with not only my career goals but also my life goals. My trajectory toward my goals have considerably changed because of the advice I’ve gotten.

What has been most surprising about being a mentee?

The fact that one of my mentors invited me to meet her at one of Odyssey’s programs, despite me not having reached out to her for a long period of time. I’ve learned that relationships developed through the program are more than professional ones.

About the Odyssey Mentoring Program

The Odyssey Mentoring Program (OMP) was founded on the belief that Columbia College students and alumni want to support one another, share stories and encourage one another’s success, thus creating a strong and tight-knit community. The College has more than 50,000 alumni working in myriad careers and around the country. OMP makes it possible for community members to connect in a variety of ways, from an email exchange to in-person meetings and small group gatherings.