Volunteers / Mentors

Industry volunteers are indispensable to the success of Biotech Partners programs. By welcoming co-op or intern students into their laboratories, volunteer mentors benefit from the students’ contributions to their team. But more importantly, mentors recognize that they are contributing to the professional development of a young person who is experiencing his or her first workplace experience.

Volunteer mentors receive significant public recognition by the Biotech Partners organization, and are recognized internally for their contributions in meeting their companies’ professional and community support objectives.  

The Mentor’s Role

Biotech Partners mentors dedicate their time and provide assistance in curriculum development and technical support for the program. This includes working with the Biotech Partners staff to develop a practical work plan for the student, and receiving counseling and advice from the staff.

Mentors often discover that helping a young person get a start in the working world is rewarding both personally and professionally – particularly if the Biotech Partners graduate is later hired in the same organization.

If you are interested in becoming a mentor or if you would like to learn about other volunteer opportunities, please contact Deborah Bellush, Executive Director, at (510) 705-5192.

Mentor Spotlight

Sam Zabor is a research scientist at Bayer HealthCare who is deeply committed to helping young people reach their potential. In 2002, Sam received Biotech Partners' Outstanding Mentor Award for his dedication to youth and eight years of service as a supervisor of our high school summer interns.

His 2002 summer intern, Dezeré Robinson, a senior at Oakland’s Life Academy, won Biotech Partners' first Poster Competition. Educational and industry partners make it possible for hundreds of young people like Dezeré to gain the knowledge, training and life skills they need to personally succeed and contribute to the growth of the bioscience industry.

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