Insights from Afar

For Marcus Newbury, a statistician at the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), participating in the Ask Alumni program has exposed him to different ways of thinking.

Marcus Newbury

Marcus Newbury, a statistician at the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), participates in the Ask Alumni program

“You get to hear how the current generation of late teens and early twentysomethings view the world,” Marcus says. “These people will be in the same workforce and possibly the same office as me.”

It also offers the New York City-based alumnus the chance to give back. “I do feel grateful … and the older I get, the gladder I am that I went through a bachelor’s degree at the University of Melbourne.”

Ask Alumni is a flexible online mentoring program that enables students to connect with alumni mentors from around the world for one-time conversations to seek career advice and industry insights.

“My standard drill is to accept a student’s request to make contact and then try to schedule a phone conversation, or millennial-friendly app phone conversation, for about 20 to 30 minutes,” Marcus says. Once scheduled, he uses either the Ask Alumni tool or an app to ask the student a couple of questions to help them prepare and break the ice. “It also lets them know that I’m taking the mentor-mentee relationship seriously.”

After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 2004, Marcus moved to Japan – “I was really itching to see the world outside Australia,” he says – before returning to Australia to study a Master of Economics. After a stint at the Australian Bureau of Statistics, he seized an opportunity to work for the UN in New York City, where he has been based for the past six years.

Since signing up for Ask Alumni, Marcus has mentored five students. “They’ve all come across as curious youths who are enjoying their time as students, but who also appreciate hearing comments from the perspective of a mid-career professional.”

The close relationship many Americans have with their universities inspired Marcus to participate in the program. “They seem to have such a strong bond with their classmates [and] help them professionally,” he says.

The Ask Alumni mentoring program has received overwhelming support with over 1,300 alumni around the world already registered to offer their career insights with current students. Mentoring at the University of Melbourne has also provided key benefits for mentors looking to expand their leadership skills and gain perspectives on the future of work.