Mission: Mentorship
What happens when your mentor is a special agent?
Did You Know?
When surveyed five years later, about 70 percent of Mentor Program participants said their experience is still valuable to who they are professionally today.
Sophomore Nicole Beck stands behind a thick glass wall at a local gun range. Across the barrier, she sees a number of government agents lift up their guns and take aim at paper targets.
A smattering of gun shots ring out from the quiet. The sound eventually dies down to just a few shots, and then all is quiet again.
Nicole might be on the sidelines for now, but one day it could be her carefully taking aim with a government-issue weapon. After graduating from Seattle Pacific University with her accounting degree, Nicole wants to be a special agent with the IRS.
That's right, the Internal Revenue Service is not just about taxes and audits; they also have agents working on criminal investigations, such as Ponzi schemes, tax fraud, and money laundering.
"I love crime shows; I love reading mystery books," Nicole says. "I wanted to do accounting because I love numbers, but I did not want to be at a desk all day."
When Nicole signed up for SPU's Mentor Program last winter, the program coordinator, connected her with an IRS special agent named Joe Lopez.
The two met about seven times during their six-month mentorship, but continue to keep in contact. Most meetings happened at Joe's downtown Seattle IRS office. Nicole came each time with a prepared list of questions, and then listened as an enthusiastic Joe talked about his job.
Joe spends much of his time pulling tax returns, researching suspects and companies, interviewing informants, and preparing for search warrants. When he does leave the office, it's often to interview crime victims or do surveillance.
Sometimes Joe monitors undercover IRS agents posing as potential investment scam victims. These agents may wear a wire, but it's not usually the type of TV situation where lives are in danger.
"I would say there's hype around the use of a weapon. We're white collar guys. We don't usually work the dangerous stuff," Joe says.
One highlight of the internship came when Joe connected Nicole with a forensic accounting simulation, where she and other college students interviewed witnesses, learned how to properly tail a suspect, and made a mock arrest.
"I got to feel what it was like, to see the steps they would go through to catch a bad guy," Nicole says.
Mentorship has only reinforced how much Nicole wants to be an IRS special agent, and she plans to apply for an internship with IRS criminal investigation next year.
She's excited about learning more, even though Joe's taught her that she will never be a door-busting agent, like what you see on television. That's not quite the case in real life, he says. "We knock."
The Mentor Program
The Mentor Program generally lasts between six to 12 months and consists of about three to five sessions.
Mentors: About 20 percent of mentors are SPU alumni, but most mentors do not have previous connections to the SPU community. The Mentor Programs has 1,300 names in the database and is continually adding more.
Students: Around 250 students participate each year, from a variety of different majors. No grade is given, and students cannot earn academic credits.
Sample Companies of Available Mentors: Starbucks, Nordstrom, the Seattle Mariners, Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, the FBI, World Vision, Swedish Medical Center, REI, Merrill Lynch, Fran's Chocolates, and more. Plus, if you have a specific company you would like to work with, the Mentor Program will try to match your request.
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