MENTORSHIP

TASA at UCLA is partnered with Taiwanese-American Professionals—Los Angeles (TAP-LA) to provide a professional mentorship program to guide college students in becoming self-assured leaders and empower the next generation of Taiwanese Americans. Mentees from UCLA will be paired with a professional mentor, with at least 3 years of experience in their respective industries, based off of responses in the application, but they are also encouraged to connect with other mentors in the program.

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Click here for our 2022-2023 mentorship program applications!

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PROGRAM OUTLINE

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• Invaluable opportunity to learn and practice developing your first working relationship with a professional  - your mentor - in a field of your interest!

• Emphasis on making first impressions, connecting, and maintaining relationships

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WHO CAN BE A MENTEE?

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Anyone can be a mentee! You do not have to be Taiwanese or Taiwanese American or be able to speak Mandarin or Taiwanese. We do prefer third and fourth years, as they often have more of a sense of what they want to do and have had time to experiment with different career paths and taken more classes.

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TENTATIVE PROGRAM DATES FOR 2022-2023

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Session 1: Sunday, October 9th, 2022
Session 2: TBA
Session 3: TBA
Session 5: TBA
Session 6: TBA

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Note: Remember that, as a mentee, you are committing to attend 5 of the 6 sessions!

Dates still tentative, but generally Sunday's 2pm-4pm!

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WHAT HAPPENS AT EACH SESSION?

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Sessions take place on Sundays ~2pm-4pm online. We go over different topics at each session and will focus on developing both soft and hard skills.

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TESTIMONIALS

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"I applied to the mentorship program my senior year when I was applying for accounting positions. I didn't like the feel or culture of the industry so I started having second thoughts. A mentor took note of my circumstances and offered an interview at her company, which eventually led to a job offer. The program was a good opportunity for students to interact with professionals in a comfortable setting. The mentors all speak from experience so you get a realistic look at how you should approach interviews and your future. You were able to reach out to your mentors whenever you had questions as well so that was helpful when I was interviewing. Also free food was a nice college student perk. Shoutout to Stephen Hsu and Nikki DePaola! Best mentors." 

   - Kelvin Huang '16

"I first joined the Mentorship Program as a junior at UCLA and it turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made. With my first mentor, we fine-tuned my resume, cover letter and interview skills. She shared with me a lot of personal and valuable job hunt and work place experiences. At the career panel, I got the opportunity to network with other mentors, one of which introduced to me the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR), which I realized is what I want to do as a profession. By the time I was a senior, I found my passion in environmental studies and the mentor I was paired with in senior year helped me explore the field of environment and worked with me to land an internship as the environmental policy intern at Disney. I am now working on environmental projects at Shanghai Disney Resort under the CSR team. To be able to work on projects I care about at a company I admire is a journey that started when I joined the TAP-LA Mentorship Program."

   - Angela Chen, '16  
 

"I received some advice on how to prepare for interviews. Not just from one mentor, but I was able to see how mentors from different industries have a variety of advice. Mentors also helped look over my resume before I sent them out. My mentor also practiced interviewing with me. During my internship, I still kept in touch with my mentor and was able to talk to my mentor about my experience. At the end of my internship, they offered me a job right after graduation!" 

   - Vanessa Chiang, '17 

"The TAP-LA Mentorship Program has provided me a different perspective on the professional topics, emotional support from time to time, and especially the sense of belonging in a Taiwanese American family. Most of the mentors were in our shoes a couple of years ago - they're young but wise with experience. All the professional advices you receive aside, if you can take advantage of the networking opportunities presented to you, This mentorship program will go beyond and benefit you in ways you can't imagine. I definitely felt my relationship with my mentor last year went beyond the school year. Most importantly, it was reassuring to know that many people share the same struggle and are going through the same as you. I enjoyed catching up with everyone at each session and it's a great way to meet new friends as well!"

   - Isabel Yin, '19
 

QUESTIONS?

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Contact Allison, our secretary at pengallison@ucla.edu

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