When Hailey Kressin started her mechanical engineering degree at the Colorado School of Mines, she knew she wanted to make the most of her college experience. As a passionate student who had pursued engineering from a young age through internships, extracurriculars, and self-taught CAD skills, Hailey was eager to connect with mentors who could help her navigate the transition into a career.
Enter the SME Bright Minds Student Mentorship Program. Launched two years ago as a partnership between SME membership and the SME Education Foundation, the program pairs motivated students like Hailey with experienced industry professionals.
For Hailey, the program has been transformative. She was matched with mentor Robert Komljenovic, a former executive at automation solutions company Acieta with a background in the machine tool industry. Despite busy schedules, the pair have met monthly over the past two years to discuss everything from internships and time management to coursework and career planning.
I think it has definitely been one of the things that has grown me the most. Just getting to see someone in industry and walk alongside with them and just learn from what they’ve done and where they’ve been and where they’re going has been absolutely amazing.
One of the key pieces of advice Hailey has taken away is the importance of effective time management. When she was struggling to balance classes, extracurriculars, and social life in her freshman year, Robbie suggested conducting a time study to identify where her hours were really going. The results were eye-opening.
“Robbie had me do a time study, which was really helpful in figuring out where my time was going,” Hailey recounted. “It showed me a lot of how I could schedule my time better… I’m trying to do a lot better time management this semester too, which is, I guess, almost a year later.”
Robbie has also provided valuable perspective as Hailey maps out her academic and professional path. While she initially planned to dual major in mechanical and electrical engineering, conversations with Robbie led her to shift gears. She’s now pursuing a mechanical engineering major with a minor in metallurgy – a combination Robbie noted could be highly relevant to his work in industrial automation.
Hailey still plans to pursue a master’s degree in additive manufacturing, a passion of hers. And Robbie has helped ground that passion in real-world applications by sharing actual job descriptions from his network.
For Robbie, the mentorship experience has been equally rewarding. After years of interacting mostly with new graduates as a hiring manager, he’s found it gratifying to support a student’s growth and development at an earlier stage.
The SME program also provides opportunities for mentees and mentors to connect with each other through regular social events. While a busy class schedule has limited Hailey’s participation so far, the interactions she has had with fellow mentees have been enlightening and inspiring.
Looking ahead, Hailey plans to stay focused on her classes while making time for her other great passion: Ultimate Frisbee. And both she and Robbie are eager to continue their mentorship next year.
When asked if she would recommend the SME program to other students, Hailey’s answer was an emphatic yes.
For manufacturing leaders looking to play a role in shaping the next generation of talent, signing up to be a Bright Minds mentor is a powerful place to start. Not only will you have the opportunity to make a real difference in a young person’s life – you may just find that you learn something in the process.
To learn more about the SME Bright Minds Student Mentorship Program, visit sme.org.
