Define your professional goals, learn invaluable leadership skills, and advance your career through AAPA's signature Mentorship Program.
About the Mentorship Program
The Asian American Professional Association’s (AAPA) Mentorship Program develops mentees into more capable leaders. These mentees are better equipped to deliver more added-value, provide diverse perspectives, and bring greater talent to their companies and organizations.
The goal of the AAPA formal mentor matching program is to establish an effective and results-oriented one-on-one mentoring relationship between mentors and mentees.
Applications are currently closed as we are underway with our 2025 cohort. Sign up for our waitlist to get notified when it's time to apply next!
Mentorship
Through one-on-one mentorship with an AAPA volunteer mentor, learn the strategies to advance your career and elevate your potential.
Mentees initiate the one-on-one partnership by contacting their mentor to schedule their first meeting, as well as ongoing meetings.
Skills
Learn key management, communication, branding, and soft skills for advancement through the management ranks.
Leadership
Practice and apply the skills that you learn in the classroom, and take on leadership roles to show you are an exemplary and effective leader.
Workshops
Learn leadership and management skills to excel and advance your career! AAPA mentors will share their knowledge and experiences on various leadership and management topics in small group.
Networking & Community-Building
Participate in in-person social events, including Program Mixers and Headshot Day in order to establish connections in your cohort and build your professional profile.
Mentorship Program FAQs
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AAPA’s Mentorship Program is open to professionals at junior, mid, and advanced career levels who seek career mobility and inclusion in management and leadership pipelines.
Everyone is encouraged to enroll.
AAPA will not discriminate due to an applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin and veteran or disability status.
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A year-long program that provides diverse professionals with one-on-one mentoring and leadership training, and networking opportunities for career advancement.
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Program runs from March to December each year.
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Mentor and mentee pairs are encouraged to once every month to share goal progress and other coaching activities.
The mentor and mentee pair will discuss and negotiate a schedule for meetings that are convenient to both parties, as well as jointly set goals for the year.
In-person events will be held in the San Gabriel Valley and Los Angeles areas.
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The application period is open in January of each year.
In 2025, the program enrollment fee was $699.
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Mentees review mentors' biographies on the AAPA website.
Mentees create a profile on the Members Portal to begin networking online with fellow mentees and mentors. Please create a profile by Orientation Day.
Mentees attend the Orientation Day to learn about the program and hear from Mentors' experiences.
After Orientation Day, mentees submit their request form for their top three mentor preferences. If the mentee does not indicate any preferences, a mentor will be assigned automatically. Mentors will also review the mentees’ enrollment forms. Matching will occur on a first-come first-serve basis as request forms are submitted.
Mentees are expected to initiate the one-on-one partnership by contacting their mentor to schedule their first meeting.
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Mentor and mentee pairs are encouraged to once every month to share goal progress and other coaching activities.
The mentor and mentee pair will discuss and negotiate a schedule for meetings that are convenient to both parties, as well as jointly set goals for the year.
At the end of the program year, the mentor and mentee pair should complete an assessment of the goals, action plan, accomplishments, relationship, and the mentor matching program.
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To graduate from the AAPA Mentorship Program (and receive your completion certificate), you will need to fulfill the following program requirements:
One-On-One Mentoring: Regularly participate in one-on-one mentoring and connect with your mentor through scheduled check-in meetings (virtual or in-person, if possible).
Workshop & Event Attendance: We highly encourage mentees to participate in all three of the workshops, as well as additional AAPA networking and educational events, as they provide valuable career advancement strategies and skills.
Volunteer: Apply your leadership skills as an AAPA Volunteer. Help support minimum of two (2) AAPA events, which may include supporting Workshops #1-3, supporting development of AAPA's IdeaTalks events, join the Social Networking Committee, or volunteer at a end of year celebration such as AAPA's Annual Celebration or Programs Graduation.