Tech career mentor for college students

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Join the movement to help mentor young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds and bring diversity to the tech industry!

About Project Alpaca

Project Alpaca is closing the resource gap for students in underserved communities to help them step into their dream careers in STEAM (STEM + Arts) through harnessing the power of a community of passionate, purpose-driven, and inspired advocates.

Who are the Mentors?

Project Alpaca mentors help mentees build their confidence in order to pursue a new career and to get their first full-time jobs in the industry of their choice. They are professionals who come from a wide range of industries, can empathize with the struggles our mentees may have experienced, and want to make an impact. We affectionately call our mentors Alpacas because they champion our mentees.

Alpacas may support our mentees and community in several ways:

1-on-1 general mentoring

Time commitment: 30 min-1 hour/week

Each mentor checks in with a mentee regularly over a 3-month period and cultivates a relationship. They listen with empathy, share relevant experiences, and are supportive in an authentic way. They inspire mentees simply by offering their time and communicating high expectations for their mentee, who may have questions about how to present their best selves to an employer, how to overcome personal challenges, or feeling uncertain about the future.

1-on-1 industry mentoring

Time commitment: 30 min-1 hour/week

Mentors guide mentees in a hands-on project that they can showcase in a portfolio and that may help them improve skills they need for a job. Mentors make themselves available (virtually or in person) to share their expertise, answer questions and offer critical feedback until the project is complete, whether that takes two weeks or two months.

Group workshops

Time commitment: one-time 1-3 hours depending on the length of workshop

These mentors facilitate virtual or in-person workshops to share valuable knowledge, insight and skills. Most lead an average of one to two workshops a year. Workshop topics and presentations include (but not limited to):

• Share the story of how you began your career
• Share insights into working in your industry
• Reinforce transferable or soft skills (ie collaboration, emotional intelligence)
• Boost career readiness (ie. how to build an effective portfolio, create a Linkedin profile)

Alpacas support our mission in other ways as well. Here are just a few examples of how they have contributed to our community:

• Participate in mock interviews with mentees
• Offer feedback on portfolios and resumes
• Expose mentees to their work by offering a tour of their work environment or company
• Connect mentees to internship and other career opportunities
• Sponsor mentees to attend an industry event
• Become liaisons to businesses interested in partnering with us
• Help us develop marketing materials, organize community events, spread awareness
• Attend our fun community and networking events!

All Alpacas will be invited to community events such as social gatherings and mentoring support workshops.

Who can be an Alpaca?

Caring professionals from tech (such as software engineers, product designers, product managers, and beyond) of all cultures, gender identities, and backgrounds are encouraged to apply. We aim to build a diverse mentor team so that our Alpacees may be paired with professionals who are best equipped to support them.

What are the benefits of being an Alpaca?

• Build your own leadership skills
• Grow your network with other accomplished professionals
• Gain access to professional development and social events

What training and support will be provided?

We will provide orientation, regular workshops, and training materials.

How do I learn more?

Visit Project Alpaca website at projectalpaca.org, or contact us at hello@projectalpaca.org.