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Mentor current students and network with fellow alumni through CamelLink
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Orange Owned seeks to recognize the entrepreneurial spirit of our alumni and support their efforts while offering another benefit to our alumni body. Once a business owner has registered their business on our site, we will list the business name, location, and a brief description. Alumni will then be able to find an alumni-owned business within their community to support. Search Orange Owned at campbell.edu to learn more about the Orange Owned program or to find Orange Owned businesses near you.
The Office of Alumni Engagement recently launched a new digital professional networking and mentoring platform, CamelLink. The platform serves both our alumni and student body through fostering meaningful connections centered on career readiness, mentoring, and networking. CPHS programs plan to find new and creative ways to incorporate this new system into curricula and programing. The idea to develop CamelLink began in 2018 after an alumni attitude survey was conducted to gauge how Campbell alumni wanted to interact with the University as well as with their fellow alumni. Survey responses showed that 29% of the alumni respondents were interested in helping students with career advice. Additionally, 23% of respondents reported an interest in using their professional talents to assist Campbell. After receiving this data, planning began for an alumni engagement program that would cater to the desires reported in the survey responses.
Additionally, 23% of respondents reported an interest in using their professional talents to assist Campbell. Participating students will be guided to alumni that the platform recommends based on similar interests. Students can reach out to alumni mentors for things such as career conversations, mock interviews, resume reviews, possible internship leads, and even professional network connections. Students will be able to see the entire Campbell University network and can connect with as many mentors as they would like. Mentors are also able to connect with any number of mentees. Additionally, if there is a time when mentors know they will be busy, they can stop accepting mentees during that busy period and come back at a more convenient time.
Nikki Olive, director of Alumni Engagement, recognizes that reaching out to a stranger can be intimidating. She explained, “With the CamelLink platform, the mentor’s profile helps the students see the things they have in common before sending that first message. By identifying commonalities, the student can select a mentor that has had a similar experience as them, whether that be a similar education path, a shared career field, or even participating in the same clubs, activities, or sports while attending Campbell.” The idea is that seeing these similarities will make starting conversations easier and allow students to feel confident they are connecting with a good mentor for them.”
Additionally, users may be hesitant to give out their personal contact information to strangers. However, CamelLink offers direct messaging, phone calls, and video calls all within the platform. This provides an extra level of security and protects users' privacy while still allowing students and alumni to connect. The platform is also designed to allow alumni to connect with one another. This allows graduates to build their network and to mentor each other. Olive shared, “We are thrilled to have this platform for our alumni and students. We can finally offer a way for our community to connect digitally where our alumni can use their professional expertise and knowledge to help students build their professional skills. Our hope is that the students who utilize the CamelLink network will come back as alumni and mentor the next generation of Campbell students.”
— DANIELLE HOLQUIST
Alumni are encouraged to join CamelLink to mentor and network with current students. Visit mentor.campbell.edu.
