SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 — More than 136,000 UTSA alumni worldwide and close to 30,000 current students make up one of the world’s strongest networks: Roadrunner Nation. To facilitate access to this extensive resource, the University Career Center has collaborated with the UTSA Alumni Association, the College of Engineering and the First Generation & Transfer Student Center in partnership with Title V: PIVOT for Academic Success, to create a new, online professional mentoring platform.
The Roadrunner Network platform was launched in July 2020 to provide a virtual community where students and alumni interact to ask questions, seek guidance, and inspire paths toward professional goals. UTSA faculty and staff are also welcome to join the Roadrunner Network to offer advice and mentorship.
“As we have evolved our University Career Center services, it became clear our students wanted a way to connect with alumni, and our graduates wanted a way to directly support current UTSA students,” said Mario Vela, executive director of the University Career Center. “We are excited about the potential of the new Roadrunner Network platform to energize and mobilize the our extensive UTSA network.”
Key features of the Roadrunner Network include the ability to search for and connect with alumni as a mentor, mentee, or both. Participants choose their level of involvement, from a “flash,” or one-time meeting, to a longer, more sustained mentoring relationship.
Participants can also post job, internship and fellowship opportunities. Networking mixers, conferences and other events will be highlighted, and communities will be launched to connect Roadrunners who share similar career interests.
“I love that the Roadrunner Network was designed exclusively for UTSA,” said Yvonne Addison, incoming president of the UTSA Alumni Association and a Roadrunner Network mentor. “Users can search and connect around areas of profession, geographic location, expertise, and much more. The Roadrunner Network brings students and alumni together while celebrating all that makes UTSA diverse and unique.”
“UTSA alumni tell us often they want to help current students and one another. Our students, in particular, really need access to those connections, as an important part of UTSA student success efforts,” said Steve Woodall ‘11, interim executive director of the UTSA Alumni Association. “And keep in mind, to meet the demand that will come from about 30,000 students, we need thousands of alumni, faculty and staff to sign up to be mentors.”
To sign up, potential mentors will create a Roadrunner Network account using a preferred email address or LinkedIn account (to autofill career information.) Mentors can set preferences for how much time they can commit and the number of requests from students they are willing to accept.
While awaiting connections, participants can also visit the Discussions area, where they can answer questions, and even post some of their own, to help break the ice between students and alumni.
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This event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
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UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
