Andrea Stumpf ’84
Written by Cate Miller ’25, Morehead-Cain Scholar Media Team
For Andrea Stumpf ’84, serving as a Morehead-Cain Mentor was a perfect way to “make a difference” as an alumna.
During their first conversation, Andrea was surprised at how much she and her mentee, Ann Goulian ’25, had to talk about. (The Morehead-Cain Mentoring Program pairs scholars with alumni based on shared values and interests.)
“Our meeting was informal but quite wonderful, with a fluidity to the conversation,” she said. “We were able to quickly enter our comfort zones, naturally gravitating towards discussion surrounding women in the working world.”
The experience of being a mentor has affirmed for Andrea that there may indeed be some words of wisdom she has to offer as an experienced professional, she said.
“It’s very validating for the person you’re helping, but it’s also extremely validating for yourself, to draw from your past and make something useful out of it for someone else,” said Andrea, principal at Structured Partnerships in Kensington, Maryland. “It’s a simple and discreet way to help.”
Throughout their meetings, she’s encouraged Ann to pursue opportunities that are different from the ones the scholar has done in college and through the Summer Enrichment Program.
“As you expand your experiences, your ability to see the bigger picture increases more and more,” the alumna said. Before founding her own partnership advising firm, she worked in government, law firms, private companies, and a multilateral development institution.
Andrea said mentoring conversations are often open-ended, allowing her mentee the freedom to choose the focus.
“We take an exploratory approach to our meetings, where I’m in reactive mode to what Ann is thinking about, and she sets the stage for me to help her in the best way possible,” she said. “When you make the transition to the post-grad world, you see more of what the world is about, and it’s important to take an exploratory approach there, too.”
This is the third and final edition of my series about Morehead-Cain Mentors based in Washington, D.C. For the second piece, I spoke with David von Storch ’80.
Connect with a mentor
The Morehead-Cain Mentoring Program is designed to leverage the power of the Morehead-Cain network by cultivating connections between scholars and alumni, and providing structure and support to these relationships. All rising juniors and seniors are eligible to participate in the one-year program.
About the Morehead-Cain Scholar Media Team
The Morehead-Cain Scholar Media Team is an extracurricular program and internship run by the Foundation’s marketing and communications team. Scholars of all class years collaborate to produce multimedia content for social media (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, and X), the Catalyze podcast, email newsletters, and the website (www.moreheadcain.org). The team’s audience comprises more than 3,400 scholars and alumni.
The Scholar Media Team is led by Sarah O’Carroll, the content manager for Morehead-Cain. Participation is a semester-long commitment.
