Central to the educational experience at Cal State Fullerton’s College of Business and Economics is a commitment to experiential and personalized learning opportunities through mentor-focused relationships. Mentees gain from the knowledge and experience of industry veterans, many of them alumni, while mentors discover high-quality talent for corporate openings. Oftentimes, professional friendships are developed that last years. 

Joe Felz and Iryss Bustamante: A Cross-Generational Partnership for Growth

Recently, entrepreneurship student Iryss Bustamante ’25 benefited from the expertise and insights of double Titan alumnus Joe Felz ’82, ’85, an administrator for the City of Fullerton. This experience was part of the MGMT 464 – Entrepreneurial Leadership course at Cal State Fullerton, which connects entrepreneurship-focused students with real-world client projects. Felz began mentoring students in this course in 2017, following an invitation by Management Professor Atul Teckchandani.

“Being a mentor is a very rewarding experience. I have found the students engaged and, with most of the students being seniors, they are anxious to take on a real-world project to gain valuable experience,” explains Felz. “I am always impressed that they are very well prepared in writing skills, use of technology and teamwork concepts, and are highly motivated to apply what they have learned to meet client needs.”

While Bustamante and Felz worked together, the students in MGMT 464 provided consulting services to a challenging client, the Cal State Fullerton Department of Education. Bustamante and the other students rose to the challenge, demonstrating maturity, critical thinking, calmness and a sense of humor.

“I saw her combine her business management skills, creativity and team approach, all traits that I’m sure have led to her early success in the workforce,” says Felz.

Connecting the Next Generation to Career Opportunities

Mentors at the College of Business and Economics often play a pivotal role in the initial workforce success of students, assisting with résumé preparation and job application review and serving as a reference for future academic and professional endeavors. In Bustamante’s case, Felz served as a pivotal recommendation for her first career job as an operations coordinator and executive assistant at the Fullerton Museum Center.

From Bustamante’s perspective, public speaking, networking and project management were among the major skills she gained through Felz’s mentorship.

“This has helped me in my future career goals because I am now capable of identifying an issue within an organization, conducting analysis, consulting with my colleagues, identifying solutions and developing potential outcomes,” she says. “This is a path toward presenting recommendations to a client in an organized and structured format. I learned from this experience that this process can lead a client toward making successful decisions. These are all critical skills for the business world, and I am grateful to have had such a great mentor throughout the process.”

Reflecting on both her MGMT 464 experience and her time as a Business Titan, Bustamente acknowledges that her education has been instrumental to rising to the challenge of this role. “I now practice the skills I learned throughout my years at Cal State Fullerton,” she says. “From finance to operations to accounting to event coordination, my ability to be successful has been made possible thanks to my Titan education.”

Mentorship Opportunities at the College of Business and Economics

Students at the College of Business and Economics can gain from the insights of mentors through their coursework, with guest speakers and connections with professors.

Additional and more structured professional development programs at the college include the Executive in Residence and the Titan Business Executive Fellows, which connect students with industry experts in their fields of interest for mutually beneficial mentor/mentee connections.

These paths are open to both undergrad and graduate students, providing high-quality, immersive and individualized extracurricular experiences. For more on mentor/mentee connections at the College of Business and Economics, read more of our articles on mentoring.