Pathway to Success: The Importance of Mentoring.

• Author: Osaki, Charles

After my retirement in 2019, I joined the accounting department faculty as a lecturer at Cerritos College, located in southeast of Los Angeles County. During my second semester of teaching, one of my best students asked to speak with me about the transfer process to a four-year university. I paused our discussion to ask the student why it appeared that I was more excited about his future plans than he appeared to be.

The student replied, "Being the first to attend college is often a lonely journey."

He explained that although his family and friends were supportive, they couldn't provide guidance to him when it came to four-year universities or career planning. He was familiar with a few local CSU campus locations and that earning good grades was essential and that's about all he knew.

For this student, going to college and getting a job was like going on a hike without a map and compass. And I discovered this situation to be the norm and not the exception with first-generation college students. While I've learned that success is equal parts talent, motivation and guidance, it is the latter that most first-generation college students lack.

In 2019, another faculty member, Peter Moloney, and I created the program "Pathway to Success" to leach first-generation college students communication skills, methods to create and maintain professional relationships, and how to maintain high performance in their new careers, while connecting with a community of like-minded students. Students were nominated for the program by the accounting faculty at Cerritos College. To be considered, accounting, business and economics majors must be academically motivated and intend to transfer to a four-year university, with at least one year remaining before transferring.

The program includes a curriculum that covers an overview of accounting education, CPA licensing and accounting-related career opportunities. It's accentuated by a speakers program of C-suite leaders from major companies such as Kaiser Permanente, Deloitte, Berkeley Research Croup and Citizens Business Bank, to name a few, and workshops that cover a wide range of topics from resume building and interviewing skills to business and dining etiquette.

The biggest impact of Pathway to Success, however, is mentorship. All of the approximately 140 past and current program students are matched with a mentor 90 percent of whom are CalCPA members.

Kristen Contreras, managing director of Level Up, expressed...