Mentoring the Next Generation of Campbell Students

CamelLink launched on Monday, September 28 as a digital mentoring platform focused on career readiness and development for both alumni and students. We invite all alumni to join our CamelLink network of mentors.

Marshall Allen (’10) is committed to giving back to his alma mater which is why he is excited to join Campbell Alumni Association’s new initiative CamelLink as an alumni mentor.

As an alumnus, Allen is already very involved in Campbell and the Alumni Association. In addition to serving on the Alumni Board of Directors, he is a part of the Charlotte Alumni Network. Allen conducts on-campus interviews for open positions at Advocacy Trust, where he serves as a Trust Officer and hosts Campbell students through internships. He believes his volunteer efforts and philanthropy to Campbell will further advance the mission of the university of leading and service. He sees mentoring as part of that mission. 

During his time at Campbell, Allen was both mentee and mentor. Some of his mentors he knew through the Peer Mentor Program within the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business. Others, such as faculty, simply took interest and invested in him, pushing him towards success. He runs into many of them frequently through on-campus events and routinely connects with his other mentors on a more personal level.

Allen believes “continuing to foster those relationships and having individuals to discuss ideas with has had a great impact on my professional career as well as my personal life.”

Allen was also a mentor to transfer students and freshmen, assisting them in the transition into college life socially as well as with their academics. These opportunities taught him about the value of mentoring for both parties. “Mentorship is a two-way street; one where I get as much out of being a mentor as I do a mentee. Serving as a mentor is a way to not only give back to the university but to also the next generation.”

In 2018, the Office of Alumni Engagement hosted an alumni attitude survey to identify ways in which Campbell alumni wanted to interact with the university and fellow alumni. From alumni feedback, more than a quarter of our respondents, 29% (699), were interested in helping students with their chosen careers. Another 23% (455) shared they would like to use their professional talents to assist Campbell.

Since then, the office has used that data to create a strategic plan for the alumni engagement program and is excited to share this newest initiative, CamelLink.  CamelLink serves Campbell students, alumni, and faculty by creating meaningful connections around mentorship, networking, career readiness, and more.

“Campbell has given me so much,” Allen said, “that serving as a mentor now as an alumnus is just one way to continue to give back.”

What is Mentorship?

Mentorship is a partnership between two people: a more experienced individual (the mentor) and a less experienced individual (the mentee). Successful mentorships can positively impact both parties, specifically in relation to  educational goals, career objectives, or personal emotional development. Learn more about mentoring at Campbell.