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FEATURES
become the professionals of tomorrow
and the day after tomorrow.”
Indeed, the national higher
education consulting firm Art &
Science, which worked with BSC
last year to analyze the needs of
prospective students, singled out
the Norton Board as something
very special, calling it “central to
the professional side of the BSC
experience.” The Norton Board
members, along with BSC’s prime
location in Birmingham, make it easy
to connect students with mentors in
a wide range of fields. During last
year’s pilot, students were matched
with lawyers, doctors, financial experts,
business leaders, and others; several
landed summer jobs or internships
through their mentors.
Part of the reason for the success
of the program, Flaherty-Goldsmith
said, is that students and their mentors
sign a contract committing them to
certain responsibilities. The pairs must
meet at least once a month; in the first
session, they must lay out concrete
goals for the year. There are also four
program seminars on topics such
as résumé writing, networking, and
interviewing skills, as well as kickoff
and closing receptions.
“The thing that impressed me most
about it was there was a clear set of
expectations on the mentee,” said
Colin Coyne, managing principal of
the Coyne Group and Busby’s mentor.
“It’s a lot of work, but the investment
paid off,” said Megan Kopkin, who
last year was paired with Birmingham
physician Dr. Greg Banks. Kopkin was
skeptical at first; after all, how much
could she, a psychology major, learn
from an OB/GYN? But she was quickly
convinced when Dr. Banks helped her
polish her résumé and interviewing
skills and helped her land a summer
placement shadowing a doctor in
the psychiatry ward at Brookwood
Hospital—a position previously
reserved for medical students.
“I do not think I would have gotten
this opportunity at another school,”
Kopkin said. “This is so personalized
and in touch with the students at BSC.
At a larger school, I don’t think they
would have the resources to do it.”
I set three goals—improvingmy résumé, working onmy interviewing
skills, and landing an internship—and we managed to do them all. It’s
just so beneficial to have that help and to have somebody prepare me
for life beyond college.
MEGAN KOPK I N
Gonzalez
Mymentor and I talked
about strategies that
would helpme get into
law school and just
generally showed me the
path. Most importantly,
he was just there to
help me and to talk to
me whenever I had
questions.
RAUL GONZALEZ
