URochester Connects: support career development

There are many ways to help URochester students and young alumni explore careers, build their networks, and prepare for what comes after graduation.

URochester Connects: Q&A (Question & Alumni)

A few minutes of your time could give another the perspective they need to move forward.

Through URochester Connects Q&A, questions from students or alumni are matched with alumni who have relevant backgrounds and experience to answer. If there’s a match for you, you’ll receive an email and can respond directly from your inbox—no new platform or app required.

Questions might cover topics such as choosing a career path, entering an industry, preparing for an interview, navigating a career transition, or identifying skills to develop.

URochester Connects: Events

One conversation can change the direction of a career.

URochester Connects: Events brings alumni and students together for meaningful career conversations and networking.

Regional gatherings connect students with alumni across industries and career stages, giving students the opportunity to ask questions, learn about different professional paths, and begin building their URochester network.

Alumni bring these events to life by sharing their experience, perspective, and connections with the next generation.

URochester Connects: Events has grown to reach 16 cities and more than 800 participants annually, creating thousands of alumni-student connections.

URochester Connects: Mentorship

Grow as a leader while helping someone else grow.

This four-month virtual mentorship program pairs University of Rochester students and alumni with alumni for one-on-one career and life guidance based on interests and career aspirations.

You don’t need decades of experience—or all the answers—to be a great mentor. Your career decisions, transitions, challenges, and lessons learned can help someone who is a few steps behind you.

And mentoring is an opportunity to invest in your own professional development, too.

The program is designed to be flexible, allowing each mentor-mentee pair to shape the experience around their goals and schedules.

URochester Connects: Career Services

Prepare students for their future.

Share your expertise and experience to support current students with navigating different industries, insider insights, and finding new connections. Be their champion in the workplace for internships and other experiential learning opportunities.

Explore recruiting, volunteering, and campus initiatives that are designed to include you and provide students with safe spaces to build their confidence, practice telling their story, explore different career pathways, and figure out their next steps.

Every opportunity has a different time commitment and level of preparation. Every opportunity helps students prepare for work and life after URochester.

Not sure where to start?

There’s more than one way to make an impact

I only have a few minutes

Answer a student’s career question through URochester Connects: Q&A

I want to build a deeper connection with a student

Become a mentor through URochester Connects: Mentorship or volunteer through URochester Connects: Career Services

I enjoy networking and meeting students in person

Participate in URochester Connects: Events

My company could provide professional experience

Explore hosting an intern through Hire Rochester

FAQs

Still have questions – take a look at some of our most frequently asked questions.

Do I need to be an established executive or senior leader to help?

No. Your experience is valuable at every career stage. Students benefit from hearing about career decisions, transitions, lessons learned, industry trends, workplace experiences, and the steps you took after URochester.

Whether you’ve been in your profession for a few years or several decades, you have perspective worth sharing.

I’ve never mentored anyone before. Can I still participate?

Absolutely. First-time mentors are welcome. Mentors receive interactive onboarding, professional development opportunities, resources, and staff support throughout the program.

You don’t need to have all the answers. Your role is to listen, share perspective, ask thoughtful questions, and help your mentee think through their goals.

How much time do I need to commit?

It depends on how you choose to participate.

URochester Connects Q&A can take only a few minutes when you receive a question relevant to your experience.

URochester Connects Mentorship is a four-month program, but the experience is flexible, and mentor-mentee pairs can determine how they connect.

URochester Connects Events provide opportunities for one-time, in-person participation.

Hire Rochester involvement varies depending on whether you host an intern, make an employer connection, provide professional expertise, or financially support an internship.

How does URochester Connects Q&A work?

A student or alumnus submits a career or professional-development question. The question is matched with people in the URochester community who have relevant experience. If you receive a question, you can respond directly by email.

There is no new platform or app to manage, making it an easy way to share your expertise when your experience matches someone’s question.

What kinds of questions might I be asked?

Questions can cover academic and professional development, including exploring career options, entering an industry, developing particular skills, networking, navigating a career change, or preparing for the next step professionally.

What professional development opportunities do mentors receive?

Mentors receive onboarding and learning opportunities designed not only to help them support their mentees, but also to strengthen skills they can apply in their own professional lives.

Topics include communicating across generations, connecting with international students, and mental health and wellness. Mentoring can also help alumni strengthen communication and leadership skills and expand their URochester network.

How are mentors and students matched?

Students are recruited first so the University can better understand their career interests, goals, and the industries in which they are seeking guidance. Alumni mentor recruitment can then focus on finding people whose backgrounds align with those needs.

This targeted approach is designed to create stronger, more relevant matches.

What is Hire Rochester?

Hire Rochester is a University internship initiative that creates paid, high-impact summer internships exclusively for URochester undergraduates.

Students receive professional experience as well as career advising, coaching, and networking opportunities. Employers receive support in developing structured internship experiences.

The University aims to offer 50 paid Hire Rochester internships annually by 2030.

Do I need to own a company to support Hire Rochester?

No. Alumni can help in several ways. You can explore hosting an intern at your organization, introduce the University to someone at your employer who could create an opportunity, financially support an internship, or contribute your professional expertise as a career connector.

Can I participate in more than one opportunity?

Yes. These opportunities are designed to complement one another.

You might answer a student’s question online, meet students at a URochester Connects event, mentor a student who wants ongoing guidance, or help create an internship opportunity.

Choose the level of involvement that works for you—and stay involved in the ways that are most meaningful.