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Communication Mentor Lunches: Students + Alumni = Inspiration
by Dana Twight, UW News Lab

Suki Dardarian, '80

"I can't think of a better way to spend a lunch hour," said Suki Dardarian in a recent telephone interview. Dardarian is a Deputy Managing Editor for The Seattle Times and a UW Department of Communication alumna. She was speaking of the two year old program, Communication Alumni Mentor Lunches, instituted by Chair Jerry Baldasty. On May 3, Dardarian spoke with a group of students over lunch at the University of Washington Club.

Dardarian ('80) said that meeting with students was inspiring; "There are pressures on the industry that contribute to a sense of hopelessness, but speaking to the students made me so excited about the future. I was really impressed with their intellect, curiosity, character and their values!"

There have been more than 20 Mentor Lunches so far, including alumni in occupations as varied as marketing, journalism, editorial cartooning, public relations, financial services, advertising, politics and health clubs. Mentors interviewed for this story were unanimous in declaring they would love to do it again.

Dianna Brealey, '96

Dianna Brealey ('96) of Northern Trust said "Jerry [Baldasty] hit the nail on the head with this idea." Brealey reconnected with the UW while attending a department alumni event in Palm Springs with 19 other alumni. She has since moved back to Seattle to do event planning for Northern Trust's Seattle office. She was very pleased that her lunch group of students were all interested in event planning. "I would have loved to have had this resource when I was a student," she said. Instead, she arranged for three internships all on her own, while taking a full load of classes and working for pay at another job.

Harold Carr, '55

Harold Carr ('55) enjoyed talking to students about journalism and how skills acquired in journalism are portable. He knew he wanted to be a writer while still in high school and stressed "writing is a skill you can put to use in many ways," while also letting his lunch group know how to go about getting that all-important first job after graduation. Carr thinks the UW connection helped him get his first job at Boeing in public relations. (One of his UW professors, Bob Mansfield, worked at Boeing.) Carr retired from Boeing in 1997.

Tom Douthitt, '83

"That first job may not be the one you keep forever," said Tom Douthitt ('83) in a telephone interview while in Berlin on a business trip. Douthitt, VP for marketing and development at Cardiac Dimensions in Kirkland, discussed resumes with the students at his mentor lunch, but also responded to general questions about interviewing and internships. He told them, "Don't be afraid to put yourself at risk. Build a skill set based on what your interests are." Douthitt was struck by the enthusiasm of the students and said "the best part was listening to them."

Nancy Eastham, '73

Nancy Eastham ('73), Vice President of Account Services at Brandhammer, focused on personal connections. Eastham invited her group to, "Please tell me what your next step is and I'll help if I can." She followed up by sending two of them leads at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the School of Visual Concepts, both in Seattle. "To me, it is only effective if you carry it to the next level," she said, via telephone from her office in Seattle.

"Inspiring" is the one word alumni contacted for this story had in common. They all agreed that it was inspiring to give back and to listen to students. Baldasty said that the program "enriches the educational experience of our students." Suki Dardarian said, "This process gives every student an opportunity to make those industry connections." If you are interested in participating in a Communication Mentor Lunch, please contact Jerry Baldasty at 206-543-2660 or baldasty@u.washington.edu.

DANA TWIGHT is a student in the UW Department of Communication News Laboratory.

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