LinkUp with Mentorship

Every January, more than 75 students and alumni from Seattle University gather for LinkUp, the College of Arts and Sciences’ signature networking and mentorship event. Designed to foster meaningful connections across generations of Redhawks, LinkUp brings together current students and alumni for an evening of conversation, reflection and professional exploration.

The event begins with an alumni panel, where graduates from a range of fields share candid stories about their career paths, often nonlinear ones. This sets the stage for the heart of the evening—a “speed networking” session where students rotate among alumni mentors for brief, focused conversations.

As students are paired with alumni working in fields connected to their academic interests, the conversations are both practical and personal. Students ask about first jobs, graduate school, career pivots and work-life balance, while alumni offer reassurance, perspective and encouragement. For many students, the experience demystifies professional networking and replaces anxiety with confidence.

Psychology major Haley Agustin, ’27, attended LinkUp for the first time this year and left energized by the experience.

“I’d never been to a networking event before,” Agustine said. “You don’t know until you try, so I’m just starting to get my foot in the door and starting to network and build relationships with other people.”

For alumni, LinkUp is an opportunity to give back and reflect on their own journeys.

Melia Lawrence, a 2017 Strategic Communication graduate, served as an alumni mentor for the first time, motivated by her memories of approaching graduation with uncertainty.

“I remember feeling anxious when I was about to graduate,” Lawrence said. “When you’re a student, everything in the future feels a little bit finalized when it’s really not. I think meeting people that have changed careers multiple times and understanding why can help you be a little more gentle with yourself as you go into the workforce.”

The 2026 LinkUp event featured 38 alumni mentors, among them was Sam Schultheis, a 2019 Strategic Communication graduate and second-year participant who appreciated bringing a perspective closer to students’ own experiences.

“I really enjoyed being a mentor last year,” Schultheis said. “It was so interesting and fun to talk to current students. I’m not as far along in my career as other people, so I’ve got a perspective that I can share that might be helpful. I was excited to come back this year.”

For students like Andrea Babalis, ’26, an economics and public affairs major, the event offered clarity during a moment of uncertainty.

“I realized I was very overwhelmed with looking at which jobs to apply for and I don’t even know what those jobs are,” Babalis said. “I came here to learn about different fields and understand what jobs that I would want to go into that align with my passions.”

Across the dozen tables set up in the conference room for the event, conversations ranged from resume advice to reflections on values, purpose and finding meaningful work. Those topics are no surprise, as they encompass the primary charge of the College of Arts and Sciences’ Pathways to Professional Formation program, the primary sponsor of the event.

Program Director Amy Lonn-O'Brien supports students as they connect their liberal arts education to life after graduation through personalized advising and connection to experiential learning.

“In the Pathways to Professional Formation program we help students find ways to increase their skills by helping them to see the transferrable skills that they already have and connecting them with alumni,” she says. “We want our students’ confidence in these connection skills to grow and LinkUp gives our students a comfortable environment to practice these skills.”

College of Arts and Sciences Dean Monica J. Casper believes that LinkUp and the Pathways to Professional Formation program bring out the best in a student body ready for opportunity.

“At Seattle University, we already know that our students are talented, as we see that every day in the classroom,” she said. “We are thrilled to be able to provide opportunities for that talent to shine.”