Re: Student Mentorship

[Adam Tauno Williams <adam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>We appreciate your writing to us concerning a possible mentorship for
>next year.  Have you received any offers yet?  If not, let me know and I'll
>try bringing up your request again.  See note below.
>Best,   Ralph M. Deal   deal@kzoo.edu

I'm in GR, so I am probably not much use to KAMSC, but I am curious how the
mentorships work (in some detail).  What are the expectations of the students
(and the anticipated expectations of the "employer")?  I've seen a couple of
attempts by organizations to create technically oriented mentorships and they
were usually either failures or very hap-hazard (I'm not implying that KAMSCs
are that way). I volunteer with a couple of institutions who try to intrest or
involve high-school students in technology thing and I'm always interested in
how other people attempt to accomplish this.

>>High school student looking for mentorship for the 2001-2002 school
>>year. In more depth:
>>I am a junior at the Kalamazoo Area Math and Science Center (KAMSC), a
>>magnet school for math, science, and computer science.  Next year, as
>>a senior, I am planning on participating in the KAMSC mentorship program
>>through which students work with a mentor in the field of work in which 
>>the student is interested.  The KAMSC mentorship program involves the 
>>student working on-the-job as an assistant and student to the mentor for 
>>a minimum of one hour per week.  Being a likely computer science major, 
>>and realizing that many KLUG members work in the computer industry, I 
>>decided that an e-mail to this list might result in me finding the perfect
>>mentor.
>> . . .
>Good that you let us know about this problem.  It may still put off
>some potential mentors.  It might be helpful to give more details on your
>trouble. Just what did you do and how did KAMSC handle it?
>>Note: In the interest of full disclosure, I got in some trouble this year at
>>school for computer tampering.  However, I have no interest in breaking into
>>your computer system at your place of business; I have learned my lesson.  
>>I know now that curiosity is a good thing, but there are times when you just
>>need to leave things alone.

In high school I drove a very cool little convertable,  now I have an "honest'
job and drive a crappy ford pickup and live in a hundred year old house.  If
thats not proof that people can change I don't know what is.  So if any KLUG
people give you any grief just let me know and I'll bust some heads,  er..., I
mean that I'll give them a firm talking too. :)

Systems and Network Administrator
Morrison Industries
1825 Monroe Ave NW.
Grand Rapids, MI. 49505