The Value of Mentorship
The ACS Scholars program provides undergraduate seniors with the support and guidance they need to achieve their academic and career goals, including 1-on-1 mentorship from members of the ACS Board
By Kelly Rembold
The ACS Scholars program recognizes undergraduate seniors who embody Carnegie Mellon University’s high standards of academic excellence, volunteerism and campus involvement. This exceptional group of students represent their classmates in service and leadership and have a transformative impact on the Tartan community during their time on campus.
Each scholar receives a monetary award to advance their learning and career goals from endowed funds established by generous ACS members. They also receive access to invaluable networking and mentorship opportunities like the ACS Board liaison program.
The program pairs each scholar with a board member whose experience aligns with their academic and career goals. Board members then offer mentorship, advice and support to help the scholars achieve those goals.
Alumna Margaret Schervish, who earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the School of Computer Science in 2013, has been paired with several scholars since joining the ACS Board in 2022. As a former scholar herself, participating in the program is especially important to her.
“It's great to be able to continue to expand my network, meet folks that are going to do great things in the near future, and keep in touch every so often and see how things are going,” she says. “It definitely helps keep me connected to the university.”
Margaret is a senior software engineer at Google’s Pittsburgh office. This year, she was paired with School of Computer Science student Gabriella Howse, who was excited to have a local mentor with similar interests and experiences.
“We got on a call and realized that we had a ton in common within our respective CMU experiences, which is really cool,” Gabriella says. “And I'm happy that she is in Pittsburgh. That was another big bonus for me because, one, I can have in-person meetings with her, and two, I'll be sticking around in Pittsburgh after school. It's nice to have someone in my physical network as I leave CMU.”
Claire Jin, a 2024 School of Computer Science graduate and former scholar, felt the same when she was paired with Margaret last year.
“I was very excited, and I felt really cared about by the ACS program,” Claire says. “While the scholarship is a great honor and I was very appreciative, it added an extra sense of personal, longer-term care by pairing me up with someone that I could develop a personal relationship with.”
Margaret stays in touch with Claire, who is now a graduate student at CMU. When Claire landed an internship at Google this summer, Margaret helped her decide which office and team would be a good fit for her.
“She was able to bring me to the Google office in Pittsburgh so I could see what the Google environment and culture is like,” Claire says. “And that really helped me make that decision for the summer about where to go for my internship.”
Gabriella and Claire’s experiences are not unique. Every scholar benefits from the guidance and advice they receive through the liaison program, and the connections they make are invaluable as they take their next steps in life.
The board members benefit, too.
“These are some of the most impressive students at CMU,” Margaret says. “It’s a great honor for them to give me 30 minutes of their time here and there.”
