February 1998
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Mentoring Program Aims to Create Leaders
Leadership is defined as the ability or capacity to lead. While it may be true that some individuals are "born to lead," more often it is the case that qualities of leadership are something people learn during the course of their lives. For some, there may be no better way to learn the qualities of leadership than to watch a leader in action.
The Leadership Development Program's goal is to recognize, inspire and nurture student leaders. It does this in a number of ways. Students who are accepted into the program participate in workshops on topics such as time management, conflict resolution, team building, group dynamics, public speaking and others. They also participate in a group community service project.
Perhaps most importantly, students in the program are paired with a mentor, either on campus or off, who is matched to their interests, and can help the student realize their potential and pursue their career goals. Together, they develop a plan of activities, and meet six to nine times during the course of the two-semester program.
Paul Martin is a political science major who expects to graduate in 1999. His professional goal is to work on political campaigns after graduation. Through the Mentoring Program, he was matched with UMass Trustee Peter Berlandi, whose professional experience includes political fund raising. Berlandi is presently a managing parter of Custom House Associates, a business and political consulting firm. Martin began meeting with Berlandi in November.
"At our first meeting, we just got acquainted with one another, sharing information about our interests," says Martin. After a few meetings, Berlandi asked Martin if he would be interested in working with the Cellucci for Governor campaign, where Martin now works as an intern to James Connolly, the campaign finance director. "This is exactly the kind of work I want to do after graduating from college," says Martin, who plans to stay with the campaign until the November election.
Even though Martin is now busy working at Cellucci campaign headquarters and going to school full-time, he and Berlandi still get together regularly. "Technically, I suppose we wouldn't have to meet anymore, but we have a standing appointment to meet every other Monday morning. We have coffee, sit down and discuss what is going on in local politics. He's been very helpful to me with advice on events and people," says Martin.
"I like to hear Paul's opinions about current events," says Berlandi about his bi-weekly meetings with Martin. "It is important to know what's going on in the world, so I'll ask him about what he's read, and if we are discussing politics, he may ask me about behind-the-scenes maneuvering in some cases, because he knows that I've been involved with politics as well as with business. I think he has learned to look at both sides of a story, which is very important," Berlandi says.
What motivates a busy man like Berlandi to spend time mentoring a student?
"I can still remember when I was a college student myself," says Berlandi. "And I would have appreciated an opportunity like this. If you can help a student understand what to expect after they graduate, I think that is very worthwhile. I know that sometimes a person will sometimes be more willing to listen to an outside influence than someone in their own family, so that is why I do it. This is a worthy program," he says.
Thirteen students are presently matched with mentors through the Student Leadership mentoring program. Altogether, 35 students have taken advantage of the mentoring portion of the program since its inception in 1995.