Cornerstone Mentor Terry Valeski, Arizona 1968 and Cornerstone Mentee Andrew Wesley Cole, Arizona 2010
By Beta Phi Cornerstone Mentor Terry Valeski Arizona 1968
During my time at The University of Arizona, I was doing about everything there was to do.
However, I was fortunate not only to pledge Sigma Chi but to be indentified by a great Sig when Swede Johnson, then VP Student Affairs, took me under his wing. I didn’t fully appreciate it at the time, but his mentoring during my college days plus helping me get a job after graduating in 1968 and after getting out of the Army was amazing and helped shape my life.
Though I didn’t appreciate it enough then, I came to do so in later years. I’ve spent the last 15 years running telecommunications companies in the US and in Europe and I’ve had the opportunity to help lots of young business people as Swede helped me. Mentoring has been uniquely rewarding on a personal level and highly successful on a professional level.
Moving back to Arizona and participating in restarting the Beta Phi alumni chapter, I wanted to repeat what I experienced with Swede and during my professional career. I started the
Mentoring & Career Development Program a year or so ago and it’s been a huge success. We have 12 alums participating now and we’re guiding 35 active brothers in the House. Andrew Cole was my first mentee and his results epitomize what we’re trying to do.
By Beta Phi Cornerstone Mentee Andrew Wesley Cole Arizona 2010
It quickly became evident that the mentor program was providing that vital link between alumni and undergraduates. Beta Phi has been fortunate to have a significant amount of alumni involvement, however, there is often a strong difference in opinion between the two groups as to how the chapter should operate.
During my service as Consul, unifying the two under one common strategy was one of my more difficult tasks—often it was the simple difference between short-term and long-term goals. After just one semester, it became apparent that the mentor program helps to communicate the value of long-term strategy to the undergraduate members.
Our mentors also work to help place our undergraduates in internships and jobs after graduation. For example, my mentor, Terry Valeski, provided me with the opportunity to spend a summer in Prague, Czech Republic through an internship with Johnson & Johnson.
Experiences like these will forever change the lives of those lucky enough to have their own Cornerstone Mentor.