Every week, business analytics student Bo Zhao meets with Jeff Chenevey, IT and digital services leader at Vitamix. Whether it be over a phone or video call, text, email or getting together in person, Zhao and Chenevey set aside time to catch up and discuss what Zhao is working on that week.
The pair met through a mentorship opportunity in the Weatherhead School of Management Master of Business Analytics and Intelligence program. All students in the 16-month program fill out a form and are interviewed in order to find a mentor with similar interests for their industry, career goals and more. Students are then matched with a mentor towards the end of their first semester.
For Zhao, being paired with a mentor has helped her tremendously in understanding the culture, since she moved to the United States from China in August 2021 for the start of her first semester at Weatherhead.
“When I decided to study in another country, learning about the culture was important to me,” Zhao said. “It’s meaningful to me to be in contact with Jeff and learn about his family, and how he works and lives here.”
Zhao said Chenevey has also assisted in reaching her professional goals, by referring her to internships, reviewing her resume and discussing interview best practices.
This semester, Zhao received a data analyst internship at KeyBank. Upon graduation at the end of the semester, she would like to continue with similar work in a full-time position.
“Bo is a very bright, motivated student who will go far in her career,” Chenevey said. “We’ve discussed many things ranging from career preparation to helping her think through ways to approach things internally at Case Western Reserve, like navigating relationships with other students and professors.”
Similar to Zhao, Lei Lyu is in her final semester as a student in the business analytics program. Through the program, she was matched with Bryan Hosack, senior manager of data science at Penske Logistics in the Beachwood, Ohio office.
Hosack said his favorite part of being a mentor is “being able to engage with the next generation of information technology and data professionals, and help them chart their course through the early part of their careers.”
Searching for a summer internship was one of the biggest areas Hosack helped Lyu with.
“Before summer we talked a lot about how to find an internship,” Lyu said. “I asked him what kind of questions they will ask in an interview and he offered a lot of suggestions. We also did a mock interview.”
Over the summer, Lyu received a business analyst internship at Penske’s office in Reading, Pennsylvania, in the same department as her mentor.
“When I was looking at the Penske internship I talked to my mentor about this and he said it was a good opportunity,” said Lyu. “I’m very lucky we were working in the same department at Penske, so we had more similar career topics to discuss.”
Now in her final semester, Lyu said Hosack has been offering her advice while she is searching for a full-time business analyst position upon graduation.
“We’ve discussed her summer internship and how to leverage that in her job search,” added Hosack.
For new students who are about to be paired with a mentor this semester, Lyu said, “Don’t be nervous to talk to your mentor and be the first to reach out. Your mentor can refer you to a good job or internship and will help you along your journey.”