Parsons MSSDM Mentorship Community

When I graduated from Parsons The New School for Design's Strategic Design and Management Graduate Program, there was no formal alumni community that helped my classmates and I stay in touch and support each other through our careers in design strategy.

To address the growing need for community and support, Ashley Amin and I organized and facilitated an alumni-led mentorship program.

Five years of community building, and countless learnings

I co-directed the program for over five years, leading a small group of dedicated Masters in Strategy Design & Management (MSSDM) alumni to host an annual mentorship program that created one-on-one, peer-to-peer connections between current students and alumni.

Learn more about the MSSDM Program

Designing an inclusive program that spans time zones

One of the strengths of the MSSDM program is its diversity – alumni live across the globe and practice strategic design across a wide range of industries. By hosting online and on campus events, we created a hub of engaged alumni in NYC, while connecting alumni and students across six continents.

Program Journey Map

Every year we gathered feedback and reflected on both our learnings and the lived experience of the program to improve it the next year. After four years, Vasuta Kalra joined the team and sparked a movement to redesign the program to be even more inclusive and provide more asynchronous opportunities for alumni and students to connect.

Deepening relationships through exploration and play

Strategic design is a continuously emerging industry. Over the years, we evolved the program to be more flexible. Personalized community cards recognized both students' and mentors' current expertise (My Now), while allowing them to share the ways they're looking to grow (My Next).

Maintaining a collaborative, community hub

Our community's home base was in Miro, an open source white board. We designed boards to facilitate reflection activities, conversational prompts, co-design workshops, and small group discussions to engage all participants, regardless of time zone.

Moments of Connection

julia[at]thehappystrategy.com | 267.702.3305