Welcome to the Alumni Mentoring Programme

The Alumni Mentoring Programme (AMP) gives you the opportunity to connect with experienced professionals who were once students just like you, to help you build your network, develop your skills and gain insights into what you can look forward to after you graduate.

The programme is open to all students enrolled in specializations of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering from UPB. If you apply and are accepted to the programme, you will be matched with mentors based on your key interests, education and career aspirations. The mentoring relationship is flexible and unique to the agreement formed between the mentor and the mentee.

The AMP is coordinated by former students of UPB FIA, and is under the patronage of the ”Alumni Politehnica Aerospace Engineering” Association.

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What is mentoring?

Guidance

Guidance

Supportive professional relationship between two individuals, based on knowledge sharing between the mentee, who explores their professional ambitions and preferences, and the mentor, who shares their knowledge and experience to guide the mentee in making the right choices

The mentoring relationship is based on being open to different perspectives, exploring your blindspots and the areas that you and your mentor have in common, but also what makes you different from each other

Different perspectives

Different perspectives

Knowledge sharing

Knowledge sharing

Mentors and mentees should be ready and willing to be open about sharing their views, as well as being receptive to the other person’s view.

Mentoring entails a different approach from Training and from Coaching

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Who can apply?

The Alumni Mentoring Programme is open to all current and former students of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering in UPB. We invite students of all specializations to apply as Mentees.

If you are a former student of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering and you would like to support the development of a current student, we invite you to apply as a mentor to the programme;

As much as possible, the matching is done based on common interests, education and career aspirations – if your assigned mentor has a different background or career path, they can likely offer a different perspective to the challenges you are facing, as well as bring constructive challenges to the future you envisioned.

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What do I gain as a mentee?

By having open and honest conversations with a mentor, you will have the opportunity to gain a positive role model who will help and guide you to reach your potential. By participating in mentoring, you will:

  • Have the chance to discuss your plans and ambitions with a more experienced person, and use their perspective to refine your current thinking.
  • Increase your professional network, understand who would be fruitful to connect with and broaden your interests and ambitions.
  • Acquire an understanding of what you can expect after you finish your studies, gaining valuable insights into the mentor’s industry, and what a „day in the life of” your mentor looks like.
  • Build your interpersonal skills and self-confidence
  • Review their way you are presenting and conducting yourself, through discussions which focus on your resume, your blindspots, interview techniques etc.
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Why be a mentor?

Mentors are core to the delivery of the Alumni Mentoring Programme. If you graduated from the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering and you have integrated yourself in a professional environment, the skills and experience you are gaining through your work can make a positive impact on a current student’s development.

The Alumni Mentoring Programme has a positive impact on your own development, if you support others through the role of the Mentor:

  • Improving your soft skills, such as active listening and empathy from working to understand your Mentee, as well as Leadership skills through steering your conversation partner in refining their choices.
  • Increasing your own profile by contributing to the prestige of your Alma Mater, by helping current students improve themselves as professionals.
  • Improving your professional network through mentor-only networking events hosted by the Alumni Association.
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Testimonials from participants

“AMP is a great programme which I was certainly missing when I was a student. It bridges gaps between generations and offers students the possibility to learn from alumni that were in their shoes less than a decade ago. The programme helps me stay grounded to the challenges many students are facing as they aim to make the transition from academia to work. The energy and enthusiasm coming from students is always inspiring.”
Mihai LULEA

Head of Business Risk, NATS

“I remember how much I needed a mentor during my time as    a student. That person who can inspire me about how rewarding and beautiful my career could be. Through the AMP I now have the chance to help other students, but also to learn from them.
Alexandru MACOVEI

Stress Engineer, FOKKER Technologies

The reason I joined this program was to help someone and  to share a bit of my experience. When I was a student I would have appreciated such a program to help me organize my thoughts, find a professional path that matches my studies and personality but also knowing that being confused is just part of the process of figuring things out.
Adriana CIRA

Consultant, Deloitte

I joined the AMP because I thought it’s the perfect way to contribute to a young student’s growth, by offering them some guidance, sharing experiences and lessons learned. This programme taught me that examples of success and failure can do so much for someone that is just at the beginning of their career or getting ready to start one, helping eliminate a bit of the uncertainty about their future
Gabriela BIRSAN

Quality Specialist, EUROCONTROL

I registered myself for the Alumni Association Mentorship Programme after I graduated the Air Navigation Section, in a moment in which I really needed some support from someone that graduated this faculty and could tell me their experience about the beginning of the journey and could advise me. I needed some successful stories that could guide me further.  Throughout the sessions with my mentor, Georgiana, I learned that no one is born with powers, you just have to catch the opportunity when it comes and to be vigilant in that moment, I learned how to build a bright CV, tips and tricks about how to answer the questions in an interview, how to behave during an interview, to analyze my assets, what I learned during my studies and internships and be aware of the knowledge I possess. I believe that I still have a lot to learn, I remained friends with my mentor (at least from my point of view) and I think the AMP is not just about learning, but also a great way to meet new people and make new friends.
Cosmin FURNICA

Mentee

I would recommend all the former alumni to take on this new challenge to give something back to the university and help students spread out their wings into the world of aviation. I appreciated the opportunity to provide students with new perspectives and support for their journey, it provides great satisfaction to enable them to be their best. It is an amazing experience for both mentees and mentors, as we all learn from each other 🙂 
Emilia APOSTU

Safety Risk Manager, Volocopter GmbH

Apply to the Alumni Mentorship Programme!