On the evening of March 21, 2025, the RUC North America Alumni Association successfully held the graduation ceremony for the first cohort of its Mentorship Program online. Mentors and mentees from across North America gathered virtually to celebrate the successful completion of this six-month journey of exchange and growth.
The ceremony was hosted by Xu Junjun, head of the program team. At the beginning of the event, Yafeng Wu, President of the RUC North America Alumni Association and a 1995 alumnus of the Department of National Economic Management, delivered remarks. He spoke highly of the achievements of the program, expressed his appreciation to the mentors for generously sharing their time and providing thoughtful guidance to the mentees despite their busy schedules, and commended the mentees for their active participation.
President Wu noted that the Mentorship Program is not merely a program, but also a tradition of passing knowledge, experience, and spirit from one generation of RUC alumni to the next. It brings together alumni across generations and geographic boundaries and reflects the deep bonds among members of the RUC community. He also encouraged participants to carry this experience forward and help more alumni shine on the professional stage in North America and around the world.
Program Highlights
Xu Junjun then reviewed the overall progress of the inaugural Mentorship Program. After its official launch in September 2024, the program successfully matched 41 mentor-mentee pairs within just a few weeks, far exceeding expectations.
Over the course of nearly six months, the program facilitated nearly 300 one-on-one conversations. It also hosted, co-hosted, or participated in seven professional development seminars covering topics such as job-search strategies, industry experience, and visa planning.
Xu noted that none of these achievements would have been possible without the selfless dedication of every mentor and the active participation of every mentee.
As representatives of the mentors and mentees, Xu Junjun and Yin Tao also shared their experiences and reflections from the program. They noted that mentors' insights provided mentees not only with practical advice and inspiration, but also with confidence and encouragement for the journey ahead.
For mentors, meanwhile, the experience was also a process of mutual learning and growth—a two-way journey in which both sides benefited from the exchange. Both alumni emphasized that communication can take many forms and should be relaxed and natural, while initiative and sincerity are the keys to building long-term trust.
They also encouraged more alumni to take the first step toward becoming mentors and help pass this spirit of alumni friendship from one generation to the next.
Networking: From Weak Ties to Real Opportunities
The event concluded with a keynote presentation by Dr. Di Wang, a 2005 alumna of International Political Economy and currently Vice President at PGIM Quantitative Solutions. Her presentation was titled “Networking: From Weak Ties to Real Opportunities.”
Drawing on her own career transition from academia to the financial industry, Dr. Wang offered an in-depth look at how to use LinkedIn for effective professional networking. Her presentation covered topics including building a personal brand, expanding professional networks, initiating conversations, and developing the right mindset.
She encouraged participants to overcome feelings of impostor syndrome and approach networking with a proactive and positive mindset, building authentic and mutually beneficial professional relationships that can lay a strong foundation for their future careers.
Her presentation provided not only practical strategies, but also valuable insights into self-awareness and personal growth, and was warmly received by the participants.
Passing the Torch Forward
Launched by the RUC North America Alumni Association in 2024, the Mentorship Program is an important alumni initiative designed to build a cross-generational platform for mutual support through one-on-one mentor-mentee matching.
The program aims to provide early-career alumni with support in career planning and professional development, while also creating opportunities for experienced alumni to share their knowledge, give back to the alumni community, and grow through the process of mentoring.
With the successful completion of the inaugural cohort, the RUC North America Alumni Association will continue to refine the program, build on the experience gained, and provide more alumni with ongoing support throughout their professional journeys.
Mentorship and Friendship, Passing the Torch Forward.
We look forward to welcoming even more alumni to the next cohort and continuing to build this warm and meaningful community of alumni friendship together.