Founders Circle
Pairs College of Business Alumni with Current Students for Career Advice and Guidance
The Founders Circle within the College of Business is a new mentorship program and the first of its kind at Idaho State University. Undergraduate and graduate students are paired with College of Business alumni based on interests, geographic location, and academic background. The current alumni mentors have extensive experience in fields like accounting, cybersecurity, sales, technology, marketing, health care, finance, and more. Students participating in the program receive advice on internships, jobs, resumes, interviewing, entering an industry or specific organization, and more.
“I was truly honored when then Dean Shane Hunt asked me to be a part of the inaugural launch of the Founders Circle,” said College of Business alumna and retired cybersecurity channel executive, Tamela Gates May. “As a former senior leader at some of the world’s most cutting-edge technology companies, I know first-hand the importance of our nation’s business schools providing well rounded, mission-ready candidates. The ability to sell immediate value-add is what will help ISU’s College of Business students become more sought after. The Founders Circle program allows me, and the other mentors, to work closely with student members to help them embrace their goals more fully, to guide them with a strong and proven road map based on our professional successes, and to help them stand out uniquely in the interview process. I, and the other mentors, would have loved to have had a similar program in place while we were doing our coursework at ISU. Getting to be at the forefront of the Founders Circle program’s creation and launch, meeting the other mentors, and getting to know our first student inductees has been a true privilege. I can’t wait to watch each of these special students succeed, and to become future mentors themselves!”
“I’m deeply grateful for my experience with the Founders Circle, which offered me the invaluable opportunity to connect with an inspiring leader and female role model in an industry where women CEOs remain rare,” said Bentley Weldon, who is pursuing a master’s degree in healthcare administration. “Beyond professional growth, this experience has given me a meaningful mentorship and a connection I hope to carry with me well into the future.”