The Purdue Animal Sciences Ambassadors’ Mentoring Committee is launching a new mentorship initiative, Helping Individuals Reach Excellence (HIRE). The program is designed to connect Purdue Animal Sciences undergraduates with industry professionals to foster career development, networking opportunities and professional growth.
HIRE will pair current Animal Sciences students with mentors working or pursuing a post-secondary degree across a range of animal-related fields. Through this, students can expect to receive guidance on possible career paths, gain industry insights and build connections with professionals.
“This is a student-founded program, created entirely by Animal Sciences students,” said Lillian Andis, a member of the mentoring committee. “Our goal is to help students explore career options early, develop their professional skills and feel more confident about their futures beyond Purdue.”
Cofounders of HIRE from left to right: Lillian Andis, Madison Butz and Will Eberhart This initiative is open to all Animal Sciences undergraduate students, regardless of concentration or class standing. Mentees are expected to meet with their assigned mentor at least once per month, from September to April. Meetings may be held virtually or in person and are expected to last approximately one hour.
Mentors must have at least one year of experience in the workforce or at least one year of experience in a post-secondary education program (e.g., veterinary school, graduate school). They must also have a passion for mentoring.
Although HIRE emphasizes mentorship and professional development, it does not guarantee employment or internship placement.
How the Matching Works
Students applying to the program will review a list of mentors and rank their top choices. The mentoring committee will use those rankings to pair students and mentors as closely as possible based on interests and career goals.
The mentor application is currently open.
Mentee applications will open on August 25 and will close September 8 at 11:59 p.m., and matches will be announced September 15.
For questions, please email hirementorshipprogram@gmail.com.
