Make a Difference, Become an Alumni Mentor!
The Data Science Alumni Mentorship Hub--launched in spring 2025--offers a low-commitment opportunity to support recent graduates and current students who may be feeling unsure or overwhelmed about their first steps into the professional world.
Your experiences—navigating career choices, adapting to new roles, or finding a path forward—can make a real difference to someone who’s just beginning. By sharing what you’ve learned, you can offer comfort and reassurance to someone facing similar challenges, helping them feel more confident and supported.
Knowing that your advice might ease someone’s path or give them clarity is a special feeling, and it’s a way to deepen your connection to our UC Berkeley Data Science community. If this sounds meaningful to you, we’d love for you to join our program.
Quick Overview
- How it works: Once the hub opens each term, students and recent graduates can browse mentor profiles and request advice from alumni who share their areas of interest. We’ll facilitate matching mentees with mentors and facilitate introductions. Mentees are given a guide for facilitating scheduling and planning questions for your virtual meeting.
- Commitment: one 30-60-minute zoom meeting with each mentee selected by the program during the term
- Summer term commitment: 2 mentees
- Fall/Spring term commitment: 3 mentees
- What will you talk about? You can select from a number of topics you're open to discussing or help you're able to provide. We will advertise your topics on the hub.
- Can I do more? Yes! Mentors can go above and beyond by continuing to support a mentee beyond the 1:1 meeting through follow up communication or meetings or by connecting them with others in their network. The most engaged mentors will be automatically considered for our UC Berkeley Data Science Community Award (launching Spring 2026).
Actively seeking...
We have high demand for mentors across all data roles and industries. We especially encourage applications from:
- Individuals who overcame career-seeking challenges like networking anxiety or self-doubt
- Those offering resume reviews, early career job search advice, or interview prep
- Former international students
- Those with first-gen, low-income, or underrepresented backgrounds
All qualified candidates are welcome to apply--we have plenty of demand outside of these categories as well!
Note: Sharing aspects of your identity is always optional but can help match you with mentees seeking similar perspectives. If you are unsure about sharing aspects of your identity publicly, we are happy to discuss options.
Submit your Interest Form
Interested in becoming a mentor for our Fall 2025 cohort? Fill out our interest form by Sunday, August 3, 2025.
Fall 2025 Mentor Interest Form
Alumni Mailing List: Subscribe
Questions?
Email Brandilyn Buckley at brandilyn@berkeley.edu with any questions you have about becoming a mentor or the program in general! We'd love to hear from you.