Katie is a 10th grade student at Belle Vernon high school. Because of her interest in engineering, Katie chose William, a Technical Specialist from Alcoa, as her mentor.

Katie and William’s rapport started strong as William broke the ice with an “old engineering joke”. Katie shared the joke with her father, who is also an engineer, and both had a chuckle. From that point on, Katie and William talked about engineering, perseverance and life experiences.

“I think the program is very enlightening and helpful when someone who is experienced is telling you about how they got to where they are. I think this program is really valuable to students,” says Katie.

William, who is a new mentor to the program, was matched shortly after he signed up.

“Participating as an eMentor gave me an opportunity to share my educational and career choices with someone at the point in her life where these decisions were being made. This started as a ‘trip down memory lane’ for me as I completed activities that documented my own career path,” says William.

“After being matched with my mentee through our common engineering interest, I was delighted to correspond with a bright, focused student who was clearly interested in making good choices for her future. It has been a pleasure providing additional data and personal insight to a student who I’m sure will make good use of it.”

Congratulations again to Katie and William. Your exceptional effort and dedication to this program is what makes it a success. Keep up the great work!