The Alison R. Bernstein Media Mentoring Program

About the Program
The Alison R. Bernstein Media Mentoring Program (ARB) is an annual mentorship program addressing the underrepresentation of women in leadership, production, and creative roles across all media and information technology platforms.
Linking recent Rutgers alumnae with accomplished women in media, this program enables promising women who are in the early stages of their careers to learn from experienced professionals in the field. This partnership fosters community, encourages personal and professional growth, provides exclusive networking opportunities, and offers invaluable industry insights at no cost to the participants.
For more information about the Alison R. Bernstein Media Mentoring Program, please reach out to Nishi Shah, Program Coordinator, at arbmmp@iwl.rutgers.edu.

Mission
Mentors play an important role in guiding and supporting women in their first five years out of college to help with job expectations, navigating office politics, building new relationships, and making choices that can have lasting implications.
The ARB Media Mentoring Program:
- Promotes one-on-one informal mentoring sessions allowing participants to receive mentorship from carefully selected women media leaders.
- Provides a series of structured workshops and events across the year bringing together the alumnae and mentors as a group.
- Encourages participants remain connected with each other and the program once the official mentorship concludes.

Want to be a mentor or mentee?
The Alison R. Bernstein Media Mentoring Program runs annually from September-May.
TO QUALIFY AS A MENTEE, YOU ARE:
- A Rutgers alumna who is 1-4 years out of college.
- Looking for mentorship related to the journalism, media, or technology field.
- Ready to commit to your assigned mentor by:
- Meeting for a minimum of three in-person or virtual one-on-one mentoring sessions
- Participating in additional monthly contact with your assigned mentor
- Attending scheduled workshops and events throughout the program year
TO QUALIFY AS A MENTOR, YOU ARE:
- Equipped with at least 6-7 years of professional experience in journalism, media, or technology.
- Mentors do not have to be Rutgers alumnae but should live in the tri-state area.
- Ready to commit to your assigned mentee by:
- Meeting for a minimum of three in-person or virtual one-on-one mentoring sessions
- Participating in additional monthly contact with your assigned mentee
- Attending scheduled workshops and events throughout the program year

About the Participants
Participants have industry backgrounds in:
Journalism (Print, Digital, Broadcast), Television and Radio Production, Public Relations, Digital Production, Marketing, Advertising, Filmmaking, and Production
Mentors have worked for the following companies:
Google, NBC, CBS, ABC, Hearst Digital Media, The New York Times, WNYC Radio, NJ Advance Media, Telemundo, Comedy Central, L'Oreal
Women Make Movies, Bleacher Report, Cosmopolitan, Women's Health Magazine, VICE
History
In 2015 the Institute for Women’s Leadership (IWL) and School of Communication and Information (SCI) collaborated to create the Gloria Steinem Media Mentoring Program (GSMMP). It was Alison R. Bernstein’s imaginative guidance, determination, and dedication in honoring Gloria Steinem’s legacy that led to the creation of this program.
Alison, a beloved campus leader at Rutgers who had served as director of the Institute for Women’s Leadership since 2010, passed away in June, 2016. Inspired by Gloria’s idea to name the program for Alison, the IWL and SCI are proud to present the Alison R. Bernstein Media Mentoring Program as part of the Gloria Steinem Initiative in Media, Culture, and Feminist studies. The Alison R. Bernstein Media Mentoring Program is offered to recent alumnae pursuing careers in the media, technology, and journalism fields.