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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2008)
Smoke Signals 5 MAY 1,2008 Mentorship program helps Tribal members gain work experience for future full-time employment IOTP Part 1 of 2 By Angela Sears Special to Smoke Signals During the last two years, 58 Tribal members graduated from two- or four-year colleges. Of those students, 14 received an associate's degree and 44 received a bachelor's degree. Like most recent college graduates, these Tribal members come out of school eager to begin the next stage in their lives and start searching for a new and exciting career that fits in with their field of study. Unfortunately, many of these Tribal college grads are learning that a degree won't always get them started in the career they want without much needed work experience. In fact, many of these graduates turn to the Tribe or Spirit Mountain Casino, expecting to find the em ployment they seek, only to learn that they need more experience to obtain a job. For the last six years, Tribal member Denise Harvey, Mentor ship and Workforce Development coordinator, has worked diligently to solve this problem and create valuable employment opportunities for Tribal members. Since the conception of the Men torship Program in August 2002, Harvey has helped six Tribal mem bers successfully complete the pro gram and begin their journey to a better career. The Tribe began the Mentorship Program to provide its members with an opportunity to gain valuable expe rience working within a Tribal entity while also allowing them to pursue a higher education. The program is designed for both management and non-management opportunities, which allows Tribal members at all education levels an opportunity to gain hands-on experience. The program's goal is to develop the Tribal community to its full est potential by targeting specific leadership opportunities for Tribal members, and identifying candi dates to assume a mentorship posi tion within these areas. "Overall, I would have to say the program is a success," said 1 larvey. "It provides Tribal members with an opportunity to come in and learn about the Tribal organization and do some job exploration; to see what they want to do. "My goal is to ensure the mentees have a successful rotation in the departments they choose to work in and have the opportunity to learn as much as possible in a one-year program." As with any program, Harvey said she feels there is always room for growth and improvement. Ide ally, she would like to see every department within the Tribal or ganization welcome the Mentor ship Program and provide mentees with an opportunity to gain work experience. She also would like the oppor tunity to expand the program and bring on more than two mentees f V) (? - K a on 1J fa i :' v ' ' ' V:. . Photo by Michelle Alaimo Tribal member Tyrell Soderberg writes in a log book while auditing slot machines at Spirit Mountain Casino on Wednesday, April 23. Soderberg is working as an audit intern with the Grand Ronde Gaming Commission in the Audit Department through the Tribal Mentorship Program. Tribal member Joe Loomls per year. "With the job requirements and qualifications that we have here at the Tribe, a lot of our college graduates don't have the qualifica tions to apply for positions because they don't have the on-the-job ex perience that the Tribe requires," Harvey said. "The Mentorship Program is defi nitely a way for them to gain some of that required experience. If I was able to enhance that for them, then that's what I would like, to bring on more mentees and give more people opportunities." Harvey recently started a new round in the Mentorship Program and has brought in two more Tribal members, Joe Loomis and Tyrell Soderberg, who are both excited about working within the Tribe. Harvey values this opportunity to bring in young Tribnl members and help them to achieve their career goals. "I think the most rewarding thing for me, personally, is being able to work with Tribnl members, getting to know them and building relationships with them," Harvey said. "And I hope to make that ex perience as positive as I can." Loomis, 27, wants to learn more about the Tribal organization while gaining work experience and hav ing the flexibility to pursue an education. Loomis, 2008-09 mentee, is in the non-management track and work ing in Tribal Information Systems. He plans to attend Chemeketa Community College in Salem to be gin working toward an Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree, and would like to focus on environmen tal science. Loomis said he is excited about the new doors the program has opened for him and hopes it will someday turn into a long-term career. "If it wasn't for the Mentorship Program, I wouldn't have the op portunity with telecommunications that I have," Loomis said. That's what I was hoping for when I ap plied for this program, an oppor tunity to get into a position that I normally wouldn't be able to. "Telecommunications is a very small department, and they're kind of close. They need help over there and I fill that gap for them. They have a plan for me, and it seems like they're really welcoming me in. ... So I'm excited about it, and I think that it's a good place for me. "I'm looking forward to working with Denise because I've heard good things about her. She's excited about this program and I don't have any doubt that she's going to make sure I get everything possible out of this program." Soderberg, 25, said his position in the Mentorship Program is the per fect opportunity to lenrn what he wants to do with his career, while gaining practical experience, and learning firsthand what the Tribe is all about. Soderberg, like many other col lege students, focused his efforts on his studies and didn't pursue job experience through internships while in college. "I applied for a job with the Tribe prior to this, but I didn't get it be cause I was lacking actual experi ence," said Soderberg. Soderberg, 2008-09 mentee, is in the management track and is working with the Grand Ronde Gaming Commission in the Audit Department. He is a University of Oregon graduate with a bachelor's degree in economics and a minor in busi ness administration. Soderberg believes this program is what he needs to jump-start his career, whether his future is with the Tribe for years to come or elsewhere. "I think I found a great oppor tunity with the Gaming Commis sion," he said. "I didn't know Denise might place me in gaming, but when I learned she was going to, I got excited right away. "The mentorship is helping me to explore a career that I didn't know was available, or I just never really thought of. I lopefully, if everything goes right, I can be working in this field for a long time to come. Hut if not, I'm confident this experience will help me to begin a long-term career elsewhere." (In the May 15 Smoke Signals: Part 2: Former Tribal mentecs take their separate roads to success.)
