Information for Volunteers
BTI has a volunteer option to fit your schedule.
Consider Mentoring
Want to make a difference in a teenager's life? Have you had a mentor that made an impact on you? You might enjoy mentoring a junior interested in exploring your career. Our students' career interests vary, ranging from engineering, programming, and sales to working directly in a laboratory.
Time Commitment: For the 2025-2026 school year, this annual program will run from November 7 to May 1 and requires 2-3 hours per month plus a job-shadow day.
Students and mentors are in contact roughly once a week by phone, email, text, or Zoom. Students are given assignments to reach out to their mentors to discuss their academic and career goals. This provides a structure to help build rapport, but many mentor/mentee pairs quickly develop a more organic relationship. Some enjoy meeting for coffee or going on a walk.
There is an in-person 1-hour bagel breakfast to kick off the program on November 7, 2025, and a wrap-up bagel breakfast on May 1, 2026. In addition, we will invite those who are available to visit a class one day to talk about their career paths with rotating small groups of juniors.
Signup: We are are currently looking for mentors for the 2025-2026 school year. If you think you might like to get involved, please send an email to Oscar Cortez (Fabic), Mentor Coordinator, ocortez@seq.org, and he will reach out to you for the next steps.
Volunteer to Speak at Our Annual Morning Symposium
Don't have the time for an ongoing commitment? Then join us for a couple of hours at our annual BTI Symposium. This one-morning event is a great way to see what BTI is all about and share your career experience. Our students' career interests vary, ranging from engineering, programming, and sales to working directly in a laboratory.
Give a 15-minute presentation about your career to rotating groups of 4-5 students. Share your educational background, current work, and the pros and cons of your field.
Time Commitment: 2-hour event plus preparation.
Our symposium for the 2025-2026 school year will be on October 3. If you think you might like to be a speaker, contact Faith Velschow, Work-Based Learning, SUSHD: fvelschow@seq.org or 650-464-1162 (call or text).
Speak in a Classroom or at a Student Club Lunch Meeting
We love having professionals talk to our students during class or lunch. Presentations can be in person or via zoom. Contact the directors, Jaime Abdilla, jabdilla@seq.org, and Susan Gold, sgold@seq.org.
