Born several years ago from the challenging times of the pandemic, Baron Bridge, an online mentoring and networking platform, helps Franciscan University students and alumni connect and learn from each other.
Limited to Franciscan alumni, students, faculty, and staff, the platform currently serves about 1,000 members with a focus thus far on business, accounting, finance, education, and ministry and a goal to reach an ever-growing, diverse Franciscan audience.
According to Christie Fleming ’10, former director of Alumni Relations, Baron Bridge is different from LinkedIn in that it seeks to forge strong, intergenerational bonds between alumni and students.
On Baron Bridge, students and recent graduates can search for alumni in a particular career field or location and then be matched to alumni who meet those criteria. They can then communicate through messaging and video calls, right from the website.
“We’re excited to have a platform where alumni and students can learn from each other and use the connecting experience of Franciscan to help each other,” Fleming says. “Our alumni have so much to share and give back, and being a mentor can be a valuable part of their career.”
Fleming, a former youth minister and kindergarten teacher, is active on the Baron Bridge herself and has answered questions about both fields, how to navigate life after college, how to find the right job, and more.
So far, she says, the platform has been well received. For example, one student reported that she was matched to an accounting and finance alumna who shared tips about pursuing the certified public accounting pathway and offered to answer questions about job interviews, résumés, and joining the workforce.
Another student mentioned making valuable connections with two alumni educators, asking them about lesson plan organization and how to grow spiritually after graduating from college.
A third student said he had connected with an alumnus working as a life coach who helped him organize his goals and hopes for the future.
Baron Bridge, a partnership between the Alumni Relations Office, Career Services, and the Office of Personal Vocations, is free to use. Alumni are invited to connect with current students and recent graduates at baronbridge.franciscan.edu.
Melissa Zifzal writes from Wintersville, Ohio.
