Graphic designed by Rachael E. Worthington: | rachaelworthi.com
AIGA Portland’s Mentorship Program
AIGA Portland’s Mentorship Program is designed to connect student designers 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 2023 Mentorship Program will take place during the winter term, running from January 14, 2023 – March 11, 2023. Applications open October 3, 2022 for mentors. Application open November 7, 2022 for mentees. The deadline for mentors and mentees to apply is December 3, 2022 for both mentors and mentees.
See below for details on how it works, program guidelines and how to apply.
How It Works
AIGA Portland’s Education Committee pairs AIGA student 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 11:59 PM PST Saturday, December 3, 2022.
Selected individuals are paired based on their concentration, geography, interests, and other parameters.
An optional Mentor Meet-upwill best hosted via Zoom on Thursday, January 12th, 2023 at 5:00 PM 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 14th, 2023at 10:00AM where they establish goals and expectations to ensure a meaningful experience.
Each pair is encouraged to meet weekly throughout the program (8 meetings in 8 weeks)
All mentee-mentor pairs meet again at a digital closing celebration on Saturday March 11th 2023 where they are invited to share jointly produced projects and/or “aha” moments.
Mentees
Great news! All design students in Oregon are eligible to apply. There is no criteria for entry – you just need to be a currently enrolled Oregon design student for the duration of the program. However, we will only have a limited number of volunteer mentors which means not all mentees who apply will be paired with a mentor this year.
We will place mentees based on how soon they are graduating, with highest priority given to students graduating in 2023. Our hope is that those who do not get paired this year can re-apply next year. We also guarantee that all official AIGA Student Group Members graduating in 2023 will receive a spot. Want to learn more about forming an official AIGA Student Group for your school? Contact us at membership@portland.aiga.org
Mentee applications open November 7th – December 3rd, 2022.
The Mentor position is open to Oregon-based design professionals with at least 5 years of experience in a design-related field. There are no portfolio or resume restrictions for applying – we just want to ensure quality mentor-mentee pairing and give preference to great matches. No fee required. AIGA membership is encouraged but not mandatory. To join AIGA, sign up at my.aiga.org
Mentor Applications open October 3rd – December 3rd, 2022.