Traditions
Mentoring
T H E
A N T E A T E R
Is on the
4
Menu
“Cool! Free food!” That was Brandon Ng’s reaction when the Earth system science major first heard about Dinners with Anteaters, the program in which alumni, staff and faculty members host meals for a group of students and feast, for two to three hours, on UC Irvine stories – along with generous servings of advice and mentoring. But Ng says the evening proved to be more beneficial and long-lasting than the tasty meal he enjoyed during sunset on the backyard patio of an alum’s house. The third-year undergrad learned how career paths aren’t always linear (his host, now a patent attorney, majored in biology) and about policy work that piqued his interest. “It was a very low-stakes but valuable way to casually network,” says Ng, who was so impressed that he volunteered to organize the evening gatherings for a year. Now a long-held, cherished tradition, Dinners with Anteaters – founded in 2003 and run by the Student Alumni Association – are just as rewarding for the adults who create the home-cooked meals or pick up the tab at local eateries.
By Greg Hardesty
Dinners with Anteaters get students and alumni together for mutually rewarding meals that come with a side of advice “It’s a good connecting experience for us all,” says Derek Sabori ’95, MBA ’02, a sustainability consultant and president of the UC Irvine Alumni Association, who has hosted four dinners at his Costa Mesa home with his wife, Sibley, an instructor at Orange Coast College. “Beyond the students connecting with me,” Sabori adds, “what I love is watching them connect with each other, learning what their favorite campus experiences are and what complaints they have. They discover new places to hang out and study – all these hidden tips and tricks.” Originally called Dinner for 12 Anteaters, the get-togethers now are held twice a year. On each night, as many as 15 groups break bread at spots on or near campus. Goran Matijasevic, who earned his doctorate at UC Irvine in electrical engineering and computer science in 1991 and is now executive director of the university’s Chief Executive Roundtable, has been having the dinners at restaurants, including alumni-owned establishments.