A joint TCU-JPMorgan Chase & Co. program with the goal of creating e generational change has paired more than 115 business school students from historically underprivileged backgrounds with leaders across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
Launched three years ago, the JPMorgan Chase Inclusive Excellence Mentoring Program at the TCU Neeley School of Business has helped students gain exposure across industries, said J.T. Aughinbaugh, vice chair of JPMorgan Chase’s market leadership team in North Texas.
“We’re very engaged with the business school. This is one of our top pipelines for talent,” said Aughinbaugh. “Fostering a diverse talent pipeline is important to the success of JPMorgan Chase and the greater business marketplace in North Texas.”
Ann Tasby, director of TCU Neeley’s Office of Inclusive Excellence, said the mentorship program benefits both mentors and mentees.
“Students have the opportunity to connect with an experienced business professional that aligns with their field of study and/or potential career aspirations. The mentorship process opens doors for networking, goal setting and invaluable feedback,” said Tasby. “Mentors have an opportunity to have a generational impact on the lives of their mentees.”
Kim Nguyen, a JPMorgan Chase commercial banking associate in Fort Worth, served as a mentor to a Vietnamese international student studying at TCU in the fall of 2023.
“As a student, sometimes the connection between what you’re studying and what the job actually entails is missing,” Nguyen said. “Through the mentorship program, students can see how classroom learning converts to real-life experiences.”
The inclusive excellence office strategically matches mentors and mentees based on common interests, job interests, personal background, career goals and other factors. Nguyen grew up in a large Vietnamese American family in Houston. She credits her own mentors for aiding her in her career.
“I can’t imagine where I would be today if I had not met mentors who stepped in and challenged me to grow throughout my career,” Nguyen said. “Mentors have made an enormous difference in my personal and professional life, so I volunteered to reciprocate that act of service to somebody else.”
Nguyen led mentee Helen To through mock interviews, worked with her on communication skills and talked about the unique challenges of being an international student.
“I think students like us always have to make ourselves competitive in the market,” said To. “Because we’re not speaking a language we grew up with, we may have a hard time trying to understand and trying to convey our message.”
Nguyen said she works to make sure her mentees understand the differences between their culture and American culture.
“In the Vietnamese culture, you keep your head down, you don’t complain, you don’t really ask questions. You don’t ask for things, right? You just expect to do a really good job,” she said.
That doesn’t really work in American business culture, Nguyen said.
“I helped her let her personality shine through,” she said.
Having a mentor with a similar background helped To have the confidence to pursue the career of her choice, she said.
“Coming from a nontraditional background, she helped me understand how to become a self-made, successful woman,” To said of Nguyen.
More than 40% of mentees are Hispanic, 18% are African American, 17% are Asian and 22% are students of other ethnicities. At the conclusion of each 10-week program, all mentors and mentees gather for an end-of-term networking reception to discuss what was learned and connect students with other business leaders.
Since the program launched in 2021, several TCU mentees have secured full-time jobs at JPMorgan Chase. More than half of the program’s mentors are JPMorgan Chase employees.
Other program mentors and corporate partners include Microsoft, MGO Private Wealth, Apple, Deloitte, Esri, KPMG, Trinity Health, Amegy Bank, Delta, Bank of America, BNSF Railway, Cognizant and EY.
“As TCU grows, JPMorgan Chase has an opportunity to grow,” said Phillip Wiginton, an executive director of JPMorgan Chase’s commercial banking. “We have a long line of JPMorgan Chase employees who are eager to become mentors next, because we recognize collaboration is mutually beneficial to students and business leaders.”
Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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