Data Analytics Mentorship Program Connects Students With Alumni in the Field
In the program's third year, 18 student-alumni pairs make forward-facing connections
by Tony Moore
For students in Dickinson's data analytics program, some of the most valuable lessons this year didn't happen in a classroom—they happened in one-on-one conversations with alumni already working in the field.
With the guidance and support of Judianne Hare P’22, P’25, the Data Analytics Mentorship Program—now completing its third full academic year and open to sophomore and juniors—paired 18 students with alumni mentors working in data-related careers. The program, which has now hosted 57 students, sits within academic advising but reflects a department-wide push to connect coursework with career readiness—a push that's gaining momentum on several fronts.
Data analytics graduated 37 majors this May (plus four more in February), making it the fourth-largest major among this year's graduating class. And a recent external review by two outside experts in mathematics and data analytics returned an overwhelmingly positive assessment of the program.
Strong Engagement From the Start
An early pulse check found the mentorship program off to a fast start: 17 respondents—11 mentors and six mentees—rated communication at 4.06 out of 5 and meeting quality at 4.41 out of 5, with most pairs meeting at least twice by February. Students pointed to hearing about mentors' career paths, gaining real-world insight into analytics work and getting internship guidance as the most valuable parts of the experience. Mentors, meanwhile, highlighted the curiosity and thoughtfulness their student partners brought to early conversations about goals and professional development.
By the end of the spring semester, the results held. Every mentor-mentee pair connected at least once during the term, and both students and mentors reported positive experiences in an end-of-semester survey.
"Consistency and communication have been the most important drivers of success," says Ellen Min '04, associate director for student access and achievement in Student Success & Academic Advising, who directed the program this year. "Small structural supports—scheduling, expectations, preparation—make a significant difference, and we're already seeing strong interest in aligning mentoring with career and internship opportunities going forward."
That interest in tying mentorship more closely to career outcomes lines up with other developments in the department. A recent gift from Mike Capone '88 will fund a new position in the Quantitative Reasoning Center dedicated to building relationships with business and industry partners, creating more project-based learning opportunities for students, alongside a significant expansion of the Quantitative Experiential Learning Fund. Advancement leaders have also outlined plans for a Fund for Data Intelligence and a proposed Data Immersion Lab, both aimed at deepening the kind of applied, industry-connected learning the mentorship program already offers on a smaller scale.
"Students increasingly want to understand how the knowledge and skills acquired during their time at Dickinson can translate into career options," says Associate Professor of Economics Anthony Underwood, a contributing faculty member in data analytics and faculty coordinator of the alumni mentoring program. "This program gives students an opportunity to see firsthand the many different industries and pathways where data-oriented knowledge and skills are applied. That kind of information is huge as a way of decoding the job market as students turn their attention to their post-Dickinson lives."
A Guided but Flexible Framework
Behind the scenes, the program runs on a monthly conversation guide that gives mentors and mentees a loose structure without boxing them in. Each hourlong session is built around a short check-in, 40 to 45 minutes of conversation and a brief reflection period, with participants asked to preview the month's prompts in advance and pick a few that feel most relevant.
The topics build deliberately over the course of the year. January opens with personal stories and career foundations, meant to build trust before the conversations get more tactical. February turns to internships and entry points into the field, and March digs into what analytical work actually looks like day to day—messy data, technical tools, translating insights for non-technical audiences. April shifts toward networking and workplace culture, and the program closes in May with reflection on the semester and, for students weighing what comes next, a conversation about graduate school versus industry experience. Mentors and mentees are encouraged to adapt the format, skip topics that don't fit and focus on what feels most valuable to them—the guide is meant as scaffolding, not a script.
What Students Are Taking Away
For Ben Brandt ’27 (data analytics, mathematics, quantitative economics), a member of this year's cohort, the mentorship has reinforced lessons that go beyond any single class.
"One thing I've learned from my mentor is the importance of networking and doing everything you can to expand that network with people, because even if your connections don't know someone, they might know someone who knows someone—and a strong network opens a lot of doors for the future," he says. He added that his mentor's advice to stay current on emerging technologies has stuck with him: "The most important thing you can do professionally is to continue to learn new things and practice your craft."
Supasinee Siripun ’27 (data analytics, religion) notes that her mentor helped reframe how she thinks about a career in data analytics altogether.
"I’ve learned that I will likely change my career or field multiple times during my professional era, and that is completely expected and normal," she says. "The beauty of data analytics is that it is pretty much relevant to any sector, so there is flexibility for future steps." She added that she plans to act on her mentor's advice about building soft skills and navigating growth within the workplace.
But she also notes that the most meaningful part of the experience wasn't career advice at all.
"I think it is a testament to how being a Dickinsonian is forever," she says. "My mentor and I spent time bonding over our shared experiences and discussing the new opportunities at Dickinson. It was really heartwarming to speak to someone who has done the whole four years, and especially useful to hear their advice as I go through my undergraduate journey."
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Published August 19, 2026