Program graphics designed by former mentee KaiLee Jones @kais.studio
AIGA Portland’s Mentorship Program
AIGA Portland’s Mentorship Program is designed to connect student designers and recent grads with professional mentors from our own creative community.
During the eight-week program mentees & mentors meet weekly for digital one-on-one sessions. The program is lightly structured to maximize flexibility with the individuals’ pre-established goals and expectations. The 2025 Mentorship Program will take place during the winter term, running from January 18th, 2025 – March 15th, 2025. Applications open on September 24th, 2024 for mentors and mentees. The deadline to apply is November 18th, 2024.
See below for details on how it works, program guidelines, and how to apply.
How It Works
AIGA Portland’s Education Committee pairs student or recent grad mentees with professional mentors for an eight-week mentorship program that promotes community, design education, and personal & professional development.
Mentees and mentors fill out online applications (located below) by EOD Monday, November 18th, 2024.
Selected individuals are paired based on their concentration, geography, interests, and other parameters.
An optional Mentor Meet-Up will be hosted virtually on Tuesday, January 14th, 2025 at 5:00PM to give participating mentors a chance to learn more about being a mentor and to ask any questions about the program.
All mentee-mentor pairs are introduced at a digital kick-off session on Saturday, January 18th at 10:00AM where they establish goals and expectations to ensure a meaningful experience.
Each pair is encouraged to meet once-per-week throughout the program (8 meetings in 8 weeks).
All program participants meet again at a digital closing celebration on Saturday March 15th, 2024 at 10:00AM where they are invited to share jointly produced projects and/or “aha” moments.
Mentees
Student Mentee Eligibility: All design students in the second half of their design studies at a college in Oregon or Vancouver, Washington are eligible to apply. For four-year programs that means juniors and seniors are eligible, and for two-year programs that means second years are eligible.
Recent Graduate Mentee Eligibility: All design students who graduated in 2024 from a college in Oregon or Vancouver, Washington are also eligible to apply.
There is no portfolio review or additional requirements for entry – you simply need to meet the criteria above and fill out the application form below. However, we have a limited number of volunteer mentors which means not all mentees who apply may be paired with a mentor this year. If that is the case, we will place mentees based on how close they are to their graduation date, with highest priority given to students graduating in 2025. Our hope is that those who do not get paired this year can reapply next year.
We also guarantee that all official AIGA Student Group Members graduating in 2025 will receive a spot. Want to learn more about forming an official AIGA Student Group for your school? Contact our Education Director at education@portland.aiga.org.
Mentor Eligibility: The Mentor position is open to professionals based in Oregon or Vancouver, Washington with at least 5 years of experience in a design-related field. We are open to diverse specialties within the design profession including graphic design, illustration, UX/UI, motion, environmental, and more.
There are no portfolio or resume restrictions for applying beyond the required experience – we just want to ensure quality mentor-mentee pairing and give preference to mentors that appear to be great matches with our mentees. No fee is required. AIGA membership is encouraged to support the program but not mandatory. To learn more about membership and join or renew with AIGA, visit my.aiga.org
