Students enjoy a diversity of classes, clubs, and programming. We all get the opportunity to focus on subjects we enjoy and to delve deeper into interesting topics. We also explore areas beyond our comfort zones or look into subjects we have not yet considered, potentially finding new interests. These opportunities allow us to develop passions and ideas for their futures. Nonetheless, an interest in a class or a topic in general does not feel like enough to decide on a degree or profession after our time at Milton. Before bridging this major life choice, we must learn immensely more about college and workplace experience.
This past summer, I attended an online summer program. After each day of classes, I had a unique chance to participate in fresh, enriching discussions with adults about the fields they chose to pursue. I believe holding a similar program for the Upper School—with Milton alumni instead of random adults—would benefit our community. Our alumni have both attended the same classes that we attend right now and engaged in the same activities as we are. Alumni embody perhaps the single most relatable group for us, able to share insightful post-Milton experiences. Through these alumni, students can embellish and expound their passions and dreams.
An alumni mentorship program could encompass all four years of a student’s time here, and each year of programming could accommodate the selected year. In freshman year, for example, programming could consist of a few meetings throughout the year. Meetings could incorporate panel-based programming, in which students can ask alumni basic questions on a variety of topics, from their experiences at Milton to the reason they picked their fields. Other meetings might be formatted similar to the club fair: alumni from different fields can be spread out across a large room, in which students would have the chance to ask more individualized questions. These freshman meetings can serve as an introduction to the alumni programming that would be offered down the line. In freshman spring, students can be given the choice whether or not to continue with alumni programming in their sophomore year.
In sophomore year, students who choose to continue with the alumni program would engage with alumni across a variety of fields with a more intense focus. Every meeting, students would meet with a new alum to learn more about their field and their experiences. For example, one session might cover an alumn’s journey to becoming a doctor, potentially including what drove them to make that career choice, what their educational process was, and what their professional life is like. These snapshots would provide new and valuable perspectives for us. By sophomore spring, students would have a better understanding of some of the careers that might interest them.
In a student’s junior and senior years, the program could morph into a deeper journey through one or two fields of interest. Junior year programming could embrace individualism more than past programs, as students would match with an alumni mentor to learn more deeply about their field of interest or to even pursue an internship with an alumni sponsor. Juniors and seniors could even pursue an individualized study under the guidance of an alum.
The Alumni and Development Office should put together the program by reaching out to all alumni and asking whether they would be interested in taking part in the process. Through the program, students will be able to learn more about career opportunities while also making connections with different alumni. Milton Academy’s mission statement promises that students will be “prepared to seek meaningful lifetime success”—let that promise be fulfilled with an alumni mentorship program.