University of Virginia 2019 chemical engineering alumnus Chris Holland's professional career is just starting, but as early as high school he internalized a philosophy that's hard to argue with: Everyone needs mentors. “Well, maybe Dr. King doesn't need onenow, but he had plenty,†Holland said, referring toMichael King, a professor of practice in chemical engineering. King is a retired Merck and Co. vice president who spent his career bringing new, sometimes life-changing pharmaceutical products to market. Recognition of the power of the mentor-mentee relationship is behind a new alumni mentoring program the chemical engineering department piloted in spring 2020 and opened to all chemical engineering undergraduates last fall. Holland is spearheading the program with 2020 alumnus Kevin Bahati and Will McDevitt, who graduated in May. Holland came to know King, the faculty advisor to UVA's student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineering, in class and in Holland's role as director of the chapter's Alumni and Corporation Relations Committee. Holland graduated from UVA with a position waiting at Merck's Elkton plant as a technical operations engineer. King did more than help Holland secure the job; he opened the younger man's eyes. “I didn't know I wanted to go into the biotech pharmaceutical world until my fourth year. If I had not met Dr. King or if I had not taken his class, who knows where I would be working?†Holland said. Those “ifs†loomed a little larger than Holland would have liked, because while he had access to faculty mentors as an undergraduate, seeking advice from chemical engineering alumni was harder. From Holland's previous experience in mentorship programs, including being part of a focus group that helped UVA redesign theVirginia Alumni Mentoringwebsite, he knew alumni want to give back to their school and to help students. Getting students to sign up is trickier, but he and King both understood what the two groups needed most was a way to find one another, and a push to make the connection.