Mentoring Program Newsletter Archive: April 2006

Spotlight on: Jennifer Hesketh ’87, ’90g CMDIS and Brooke Kotick

Jennifer Hesketh, program manager for Genesis Rehabilitation Services in Huntingdon, PA, first enrolled in the mentoring program in 2005. “I felt this would be an excellent opportunity to reconnect with the Penn State program and share my career knowledge and experiences with up and coming professionals in speech pathology,” says Jennifer. “My hope was to share what I've learned so far, and maybe personally grow as well.”

Brooke, meanwhile, enrolled in the program because she was unsure of whether CSD was the right major for her. In addition, “I thought having a mentor would be a good way to start connecting myself to the outside world in terms of a career and professionals within the field,” explains Brooke. “I knew that if my mentor was close enough, I would probably have the opportunity to go and observe him/her and gain a better sense of what the career is actually like, rather than just learning everything through a textbook.”

Jennifer immediately encouraged her protégé, Brooke Kotick, to volunteer at a range of different job sites in order to “get a feel for the wide range of opportunities the field of speech pathology had to offer.” Brooke subsequently volunteered near her home during the summer of 2005. Brooke also visited Jennifer at one of her work sites, Huntingdon Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Huntingdon, PA. “The undergrads currently get so little time to explore ‘the real world,’ explains Jennifer. “I felt this was the most critical experience I could share with her.”

For Jennifer, Penn State has always been a source of mentoring opportunities. One of her first mentors was Kelly Webb, an instructor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. “This is a relationship I truly value,” says Jennifer “She and I regularly keep in touch and often will bounce clinical and professional questions off of each other.” From her relationship with Kelly, Jennifer has learned that her mentorship of Brooke “is not a ‘supervisor and student’ interaction. Instead it is an opportunity to grow and learn together as professionals, hopefully beyond the college years.”

An added benefit of Jennifer’s participation in the program is the opportunity to interact with fellow speech-language pathologists (and other Penn State alumni) at the annual mentoring dinner and workshop. In addition, because she lives in State College, she has been able to offer job site observation for other students in the mentoring program who were not able to travel to visit their mentors.

Brooke also feels that she has benefited a great deal from her participation in the program. “Jennifer has become not only my mentor, but also my friend and someone whom I can go to for advice about a wide range of things,” she explains. “She really loves her job and I was able to see that through my time spent with her. That made me more excited about becoming a speech pathologist.”

Brooke advises that protégés in the program take advantage of the time and resources their mentors have to offer. “Ask as many questions as possible,” she suggests. “Try to observe them in the field. The more you see, the better feel you will get for the job.”

“I would highly recommend the mentoring program to any professional who has a commitment to their chosen field,” says Jennifer. “It is so rewarding to interact with students to give them a taste of what experience has taught, and share in the excitement and sometimes frustration of discovering what new possibilities await.”

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Movin' On

Congratulations to the following students who are graduating on May 13! We hope that your participation in the Mentoring Program has been beneficial and that you will someday enroll in the Program as a mentor. Please stay in touch!

Biobehavioral Health:  
Akua Ampadu
Kerry Boyer
Elisabeth Donaldson
 Kristen Jozkowski
Rachael Powell
   
Communication Sciences and Disorders:
Emily Angert
Shashona Baker
Megan Boyd
Lauren Carn
Kelly Carney
Sarah Colle
 Lindsie Jorich
Brooke Allison
Alicia Krall
Meredith Massucci
Jason Schmitt
   
Health Policy and Administration:
Sarah Ayers
Sara Belly
Garret Cloud
Robyn Giffen
Sara Gonzalez
Asha Javia
Lynda Jones
Rosie Leah		 Katrina McGowan
Sara Patchcoski
Jessica Puhak
Jessica Rada
Tiffany Tankalavage
Jacqueline Vaux
Marissa White
Amanda Yocum
   
Human Development and Family Studies:
Heather Allen
Alaina Dettore
Jennifer Holmes
Lyndsay Keller
Maureen Koneski		 Lindsey Machowski
Anne Slawson
Katie Soberg
Sharon Taverno
   
Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management:
Ellen Archibald
Emily Atwell-Keister
Jamie Blair
Eric Frohman
Leanne Gottschalk
Rick Macko		 Maureen Maggi
Shannon Moore
Nicole Newcomer
Allen Patel
Morgan Plecenik
Bianca Sparbanie
   
Kinesiology:
Roberta Baker
Andrea Cappeto
Keri Carullo
Maria Dotta
Kristen Fink
Megan Kiczek
Skye Middleton
Sarah Novosel		 Steve Ordons
Shauntele Sacco
Julie Stein
Kristin Tammaro
Michelle Wale
Melissa Weida
Ashley Webber
Heather Woodring
   
Nursing:
Michael Ash
Sherilyn Blanchard
Kristen Danese
Angela Diehl
Jill Estell
Ashley Gilbert
Carin Gore
Meredith Heim		 Natasha Julien
Jacquelyn Jurkowski
Jennifer Miller
Jacqueline Moroch
Rachel Onorato
Shatonya Perry
Evelyn Schwoyer
Michelle Way
   
Nutritional Sciences:
Lindsey Averill
Alisha Blanks
Amanda Blocher
Kristen Carter
Erin Gilroy		 Alycia Joseph
Emily Kuhlman
Beth Michalyshin
Catherine Vitelli
   
Recreation, Park and Tourism Management:
Ryan Walt
Larissa Witmer
Angela Young		  

 

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2007 Mentoring Dinners

It’s never too early to mark your calendar for the 2007 Mentoring Dinners and Workshops! Please note that two departments (Biobehavioral Health and Nutritional Sciences) are hosting lunches rather than dinners.

Friday, February 2 (6:00 p.m.)

Saturday, February 3 (11:30 a.m.)

Saturday, February 3 (6:00 p.m.)

Saturday, March 31, 2007 (10:00 a.m.)

 

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Topics of the Month

For protégés to ask mentors:
Did you do an internship while in college? If so, where? Was it helpful to you in your future career?

For mentors to ask protégés:
What are your plans for the summer? Do you have an internship or other summer employment lined up?

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Featured Photos

Mentors and students
Mentors and students
Mentors and students

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Upcoming Events at Penn State:

Saturday, May 13, 2006 - Commencement

 

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Helpful Links:

Daily Collegian: http://www.collegian.psu.edu/

Penn State Newswires (subscribe): http://newswires.psu.edu/ 

College of Health and Human Development Homepage: www.hhdev.psu.edu

Penn State Live (daily news from Penn State): http://live.psu.edu/

Penn State Alumni Association Homepage: www.alumni.psu.edu

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Mentoring Newsletter Archive

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