ASU fraternity and sorority mentoring community opens to students

When Veronica Aguilar arrived at ASU as an Arizona native and a first-generation college student, she knew she wanted to make new and diverse connections in her time at college. When she heard the then-Panhellenic Association president speak at her orientation, Aguilar was inspired to be part of a community so dedicated to philanthropy, service and  leadership. She thought, “I want to be her someday.”

Aguilar did join Pi Beta Phi in 2011 and became the Panhellenic president soon after. Along the way, her experience and career benefitted from mentors in her ASU community, especially the late ASU Vice President of Student Services Jennifer Hightower. 

From left: Jennifer Hightower with Veronica Aguilar

And now Aguilar, who graduated in 2012 with a degree in business and corporate communications, is paying it forward as a member of the Greek Alumni Board and as an advocate for a new Greek mentoring community through her role as associate director of alumni for ASU Career and Professional Development Services at ASU.

“Alumni want to give back. They want to help out. They want to be mentors. They want to hire Sun Devil Greeks,” Aguilar said.

“They’ve had mentors themselves, and they want to be that person for another student at ASU.”

This month, a new mentoring space dedicated to the Fraternity and Sorority Life community at ASU opened up to current Sun Devils. The resource is part of ASU’s Mentor Network, a tool for current students to connect with like-minded mentors in Arizona and all over the world. Aguilar says that dozens of Greek alumni have joined the group so far, and the opportunity opened up to students in January, which is National Mentoring Month.

The Mentor Network offers chances for networking and mentorship to current students and alumni. It was built with the intention of giving students and alumni a platform to make powerful professional connections within the Sun Devil community. Aguilar said the benefits to current ASU fraternity and sorority participants as well as Greek alumni is the chance to easily connect, locally or long distance, within your chapter or community to gain long lasting relationships, potential managers and coworkers and just have a rewarding interpersonal experience through the platform.

ASU Lambda Chi Alpha alum Daniel Zlaket is excited to dedicate more time to giving back to the Greek community at ASU that gave him so much. The 2013 graduate in communications and 2016 graduate in global management said that his fraternity brothers mentored each other in academic success and giving back. And through Zlaket’s graduate school experience at the Thunderbird School of Global Management, he met a mentor who changed his career. 

“I’ve had phenomenal mentors,” said Zlaket. “And you’ve got to pay it forward. When you’re fortunate to meet people like that, they’ll inspire you to be the best version of who you are. You need to give that back to other people as well.”

Zlaket said his mentor helped guide him through the ups and downs of the first few years of his career at Target, at a startup and ultimately at his current role as the director of operations for the West Coast at Bento Sushi. Zlaket’s job includes supporting the location at ASU’s Memorial Union.

“When we leave college, we enter a scary place in the world, so just having that person who can help you and guide you through that is critical, “ Zlaket said. 

“Without my mentor I don’t think I would have been able to handle a lot of the adversity I faced, the challenges and also just the reality of what life actually is like after school.”

Zlaket travels a lot for work but said it’s important to make the time, either in person or virtually, to connect, which he does as an active alumnus of Lambda Chi Alpha. 

“Having the opportunity to make an impact on these students’ lives is something vital,” he said.

2012 Barrett global studies graduate and Kappa Alpha Theta member Yalda Godusi has also been involved in the Mentor Network and said that mentorship within her sorority was vital to her time at ASU. 

“Throughout my entire time in Theta, I received great mentorship from my older sisters,”Godusi said. “Apart from being great friends, they took the time to review and critique my resume and helped me prepare for interviews for some of my favorite internships.” 

Godusi joined Kappa Alpha Theta because she knew they were leaders on campus, cared about scholarship and philanthropy and knew how to have fun. She said it’s important for college students and recent graduates to have access to mentorship. 

“When you are 20 years old, there are a lot of things you do not know or have not experienced,” she said. “Finding someone who has been through what you are looking for can be vital in developing your future career path. I've found that people are willing to help where they can and enjoy talking about what they've been through and what they've learned — so don't hesitate to ask!” she said.

Through the ASU Mentor Network, alumni and professionals fill out a profile and set availability preferences. Potential mentees can then browse profiles and make a request for a connection. Students and professionals can connect via email, video, through group chats, events and more. 

Zlaket said he’s been receiving connections and enjoys the process because it clearly outlines the shared interests and how you can help others. He’s looking forward to even more connections within the Greek community that helped make his time at ASU so meaningful. 

“It’s a really good way to keep the family together in a way,” he said. “It just takes that one person who can change so much about what your outlook is on your career and what your next step is.” 

Are you a Greek Sun Devil or alumni? Join the Fraternity and Sorority Life Mentoring Community today at the ASU Mentor Network.