AIGA Portland’s Mentorship Program
AIGA Portland’s Mentorship Program is designed to connect student designers and recent grads with professional mentors from our own creative community.
During the eight-week program mentees & mentors meet weekly for digital one-on-one sessions. The program is lightly structured to maximize flexibility with the individuals’ pre-established goals and expectations.
How it Works
AIGA Portland’s Education Committee pairs student or recent grad mentees with professional mentors for an eight-week mentorship program that promotes community, design education, and personal & professional development.
For Mentees
Student Mentee Eligibility: All design students in the second half of their design studies at a college in Oregon or Vancouver, Washington are eligible to apply. For four-year programs that means juniors and seniors are eligible, and for two-year programs that means second years are eligible.
Recent Graduate Mentee Eligibility: All design students who graduated in the same year from a college in Oregon or Vancouver, Washington are also eligible to apply.
There is no portfolio review or additional requirements for entry. However, we have a limited number of volunteer mentors which means not all mentees who apply may be paired with a mentor this year. If that is the case, we will place mentees based on how close they are to their graduation date, with highest priority given to students graduating the soonest.
For Mentors
The Mentor position is open to professionals based in Oregon or Vancouver, Washington with at least 5 years of experience in a design-related field. We are open to diverse specialties within the design profession including graphic design, illustration, UX/UI, motion, environmental, and more.
There are no portfolio or resume restrictions for applying beyond the required experience – we just want to ensure quality mentor-mentee pairing and give preference to mentors that appear to be great matches with our mentees. No fee is required. AIGA membership is encouraged to support the program but not mandatory. To learn more about membership and join or renew with AIGA, visit my.aiga.org.