More than 900 Georgia Tech alumni and students have connected through the Mentor Jackets program. Below, alumnus Mike Swink and student Mehreen Iqbal reflect on how the program impacted their lives. Mentors are needed for the 2011-12 academic year, and the program offers an e-mentoring option that allows connections to alumni living outside the Atlanta area. Those interested can sign up at gtalumni.org/mentorjackets.

Mentor

Mike Swink of Alpharetta, Ga., graduated from Tech in 1984 with a degree in management. He is director of Cobalt Capital Partners.

The Mentor Jackets program was a great experience. I highly recommend it. The team at the Georgia Tech Alumni Association and the Student Alumni Association did a great job matching me up with Mehreen and made the whole process easy.

After changing jobs and having to give up volunteering as an assistant football coach at a local high school, I was looking for another volunteer opportunity. The Mentor Jackets program came along at just the right time, but I had doubts about whether or not I could add value to a current Tech student. They seem much younger, smarter, more serious and focused than I remember being when I was at Tech. Darby Frizzell [manager of Student Alumni Programs] convinced me to sign up anyway, and I am glad I did.

Mehreen and I struggled when trying to schedule our first face-to-face meeting. Her schedule was full, and we were both trying too hard to be respectful of each other’s time. Our styles and backgrounds are very different, and I am sure Mehreen left our first meeting wondering what kind of mess she had gotten herself into.

To her credit, Mehreen stayed committed and took me up on my offer to help with a proposal and presentation she was working on. Looking over her shoulder and helping (very little) with these was a lot of fun, and it gave us the opportunity to learn more about each other. It also allowed me to watch Mehreen in a non-social setting and identify some points for future discussions. The proposal was accepted and Mehreen’s presentation was the best one of the evening (I admit I may be a little biased).

As the year progressed, we became friends and my role changed to listening, prodding and advising. We also made time for a couple of fun outings and to introduce Mehreen to some of my friends and family.

I am looking forward to being a part of Mehreen’s senior year at Tech and her continued success after she graduates.

The Mentor Jackets program is definitely worth the investment. I am planning to participate again next year and know I will continue to get more out of it than I could ever give.

Mentee

Mehreen Iqbal is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the Institute and is majoring in management.

I signed up for Mentor Jackets last fall after joining the Student Alumni Association and went into the program not knowing what to expect. I was excited and nervous to meet my mentor for the first time — what if I wasn’t smart enough or polished enough for him?

I didn’t know how formal this would be. I wanted to get to know an alumnus who was successful in the real world so one day I could be one, too. I’ve had a blast getting to know Mike this past year. Mike and I would meet every couple of weeks, and I’d tell him about things I was working on and he would tell me about something he was involved with.

Initially Mike helped me to edit a proposal I was working on for the Student Government Association and he helped me put together some reports for the Student Foundation Investments Committee and even helped me to rehearse my presentation. What amazed me was his commitment and his flexibility. When I felt like I was drowning in work, he made the effort to come down to Tech to meet with me after work and even tagged along to some meetings. I know he had some 15-hour days when we met up.

Mike helped me to make important decisions during my third year — deciding between concentrations, choosing an internship and reevaluating my commitments. As I’ve gotten to know Mike, I can count on him to give me an honest and unbiased opinion, even when it’s hard to hear. I am a lot more confident about my decision-making skills because of Mike’s guidance and, at times, reality checks.

I am very blessed to have gotten to know Mike and his family through Mentor Jackets. Mike is not only a mentor but a friend whose opinion I value and trust. The program helped me connect with another Yellow Jacket who was similar to me but at a different point in his life so I could learn from his experiences and benefit from his guidance. I know Mike is busy juggling work, his family, and his commitment to his community, and it is truly inspiring to have him as a mentor and see how much he has done for me this past year.

As I start my final year of college, I look forward to building upon my relationship with Mike, and I’m sure that I will need his advice as I begin to consider the next chapter of my life. Mike has shown me how to give back to Tech, and I hope that when I’m an alumna, I too will be able to help out another Yellow Jacket as much as he’s helped me.