Twelve seniors spent part of their spring semester under the wing of mentors through the Advancing Leaders program. Each student was paired with a professional in a position or with career experiences to which the student aspired. Andrea Wirth ’00 teamed with Brenda Mersch ’89, manager of direct marketing for CMF&Z in Cedar Rapids.
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Brenda Mersch '89 (left) mentored Andrea Wirth '00 in the Advancing Leaders program during the spring semester. |
“I was thrilled when I found out how well my background matched Andrea’s,” Mersch, who majored in economics and business and geology, said. Wirth majored in economics and business with a minor in geology.
“Knowing that Andrea was interested in the financial side of business, I set her up to talk to the CFO here and a couple of others in his department. She job shadowed one afternoon, and I gave her a friend’s name in Minneapolis from whom I thought she could get some valuable career insight,” Mersch said.
Wirth said it helped her “see what a professional environment is like.” She accepted a job as a junior analyst/researcher with RW Baird in Milwaukee. She was also chosen young trustee by the Board of Trustees.
Advancing Leaders is one of four class-year programs coordinated by Cornell’s Leadership Programs Office. |
