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Sharing food and experience 

Students break bread with alumni as part of the Mentor Program

By Karen Herland

Lucie Fréchette remembers what starting a career feels like. As an executive member of the Concordia University Alumni Association (CUAA), she saw a perfect opportunity to give back.

The new initiative Dinner for Eight allows graduating students the opportunity to break bread with a professional and find out what life is like in the real world. Organized by Advancement and Alumni Relations and sponsored by the CUAA, the initiative is part of the Mentor Program and aims at building enduring relationships between students and alumni of the university.

“It’s something I would have enjoyed participating in when I was finishing my degree and entering the workforce,” Fréchette said of her decision to open her home to seven students.

Fréchette is Director of Business Development with Aviva Canada, one of the country’s leading property and casualty insurance groups. In her five years with the company, Fréchette has risen through the ranks with several challenging experiences under her belt.

“I’ve done a relocation and learned how to be the one making decisions in times of financial difficulty.”

She discussed both of those experiences and what she learned from them with the seven students who visited her home March 20 on the South Shore. Her guests, currently studying finance, mathematics and commerce, chose to attend the dinner she hosted; one of several offered by different alumni this term.

Among them was Seyedmohsen Najafi Marzbali, who recently began a graduate degree in mechanical engineering after completing his undergrad in aerospace. Although it was a bit of a stretch to be among the business-minded, Marzbali says he “would like to work in a company like Pratt & Whitney Canada and climb the ladder to management.”

Those aspirations brought him to Fréchette’s home, where he met her husband (who is an engineer) and her children over the four-hour visit.

“It wasn’t that long, I wanted to give them the time to ask the questions they wanted to ask,” said Fréchette, adding that some did battle initial shyness.
Marzbali, originally from Iran, was joined by students from Africa and China. “It was totally informal,” he said. “This is a really useful program for people starting their careers and a very generous gesture for alumni.”

On a less formal note, some of the lessons were social as well as business-related.

“I served paella. If you learn how to make one thing really well, you can always serve it,” said Fréchette.

She also told them that they’ll impress if they order a single malt scotch with water on the side. “You don’t want to order a cosmo at a business function.”