The Conversation That Sparked the Engineering Mentorship Program

Matthew Matta ’24 almost skipped the Salesforce mentorship event. He wasn’t feeling well, and as a first-year mechanical engineering major, he wasn’t particularly eager to attend a networking event filled with people he didn’t know. 

But he pushed himself to go.

That decision in 2019 led Matta to mechanical engineering alum Steven Serabian ’80, ’86, ’90, the mentor who would help him navigate college, his engineering studies and his transition into the workforce. 

Seven years later, Matta and Serabian are helping to build a mentorship program for students in the Francis College of Engineering.

“If I hadn’t gone to that event, we wouldn’t be sitting here having this conversation,” says Matta, who now works as a tooling engineer with Johnson & Johnson MedTech’s DePuy Synthes orthopedics business in Raynham.

The Engineering Mentorship Program pairs Francis College students with alumni mentors who provide guidance on academics, co-ops, careers and the personal challenges of college life.

“Anybody in any engineering program who wants a mentor can have a mentor. Our job is to go find them,” says Serabian, who recently retired after a three-decade career in the software industry, where he held sales and leadership positions with companies including Oracle, SAP and Salesforce.

The program began two years ago as an eight-week pilot through UML Connect, an engagement platform that paired 10 alumni with 10 students in the mechanical and industrial engineering programs. Last year, the program grew to 30 mentor-mentee pairs. This fall, more than 60 students are seeking mentors, creating an immediate need for additional engineering alumni to participate.

“The alumni are so drawn to this type of volunteer opportunity because they can see the direct result of their support and how the students change and grow over the course of their time with them,” says Amy Lee, senior associate director of alumni and donor engagement. “Several students have received internships and jobs through the networks of their mentors.”

As a first-generation college student from Brockton, Matta did not have family members who could explain what it meant to become an engineer or how to navigate the transition from college to the workplace.

“Steve gave me the roadmap. He gave me the answers to the test — and it’s not cheating,” Matta says.

The original Salesforce mentorship program, hosted by the River Hawk Scholars Academy, was intended to last one year. But Matta and Serabian continued their connection through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Serabian attended Matta’s Commencement ceremony, and the two continue to talk regularly about careers, finances and other aspects of life.

Serabian’s own experience as a UMass Lowell student shaped his belief in the value of mentorship. His father, who was also named Steven, taught mechanical engineering at the university for 22 years and introduced him to the possibilities of an engineering career. The Chelmsford native excelled academically, but didn’t participate in a co-op and initially struggled to understand how his education connected to his career, which he began as an Army research engineer.

“There are plenty of professors here who will teach you the equations,” Serabian says. “But you’ve got to pair that with some sort of mentorship from a career-development standpoint.”

With Johnson & Johnson, Matta helps ensure that the molds used to produce orthopedic implants are properly designed, tested and ready for manufacturing. He draws on his co-op experiences at TransMedics and Midé Technology, where he gained hands-on experience in machining, 3D printing, mechanical testing and project coordination. 

Those experiences have helped Matta mentor students who are preparing for their own first co-ops.

“Matt brings the fresh perspective of somebody who has gone through the rigors of finding a job and made the transition from academic life to his career,” Serabian says. “Since it’s so fresh, he reaches students in a different way.”

One of Matta’s mentees, senior mechanical engineering major Jared Boutin, is currently completing a co-op at SKYRE, while another, senior mechanical engineering major Kimberly Thimothee, is balancing coursework with an internship at Diagnosys and preparing for graduate study. Matta says he helps them set expectations, evaluate opportunities and make the most of their professional experiences.

“I know I have my own experience to share with current students,” he says. “And as a recent graduate, I still have a lot to learn, too.”

The program’s benefits extend beyond job preparation. At a recent open house, mechanical engineering student Kazuma Marquez described how his mentor, Esra Eisa ’24, helped him refine SustainaCare, a sustainable bandage system that reached the finals of the 2025 Francis College of Engineering Prototyping Competition.

Mechanical engineering graduate student Logan Lavallee ’26, a member of the program’s first cohort, credited his mentor, Ken Wagner ’88, with encouraging him to apply for Raytheon’s competitive Engineering Leadership Development Program. Lavallee is now completing rotations in California, at Pratt & Whitney and at Collins Aerospace.

“I wouldn’t have necessarily applied for the role if Ken hadn’t encouraged it,” Lavallee says.

Today, Serabian helps recruit mentors for the program while also serving as a mentor himself, meeting with students on campus or virtually. Among his mentees is Jason Gonzalez, a second-year mechanical engineering student who says Serabian has helped him look beyond his coursework to explore clubs, careers and future job opportunities.

“It’s been a great help in opening up my eyes to more things outside of just classwork itself,” Gonzalez says.

Serabian and Matta hope the program will continue expanding at UMass Lowell and eventually serve as a model for other UMass campuses. For now, they are focused on giving more students the kind of guidance Matta found when he decided — despite not feeling well and not knowing anyone at the event — to show up.

“Steve helped me so much, and he still helps me so much,” Matta says.

That is what Serabian hopes the program will make possible for more students — as alumni share their experiences and inspire the next generation to become mentors themselves.

“If I can get up every day and not only spin the world in a positive way myself, but also recruit other people through this program to spin it in a positive way, that’s a positive thing for the universe,” he says.