While interning at a law firm, nonprofit organization, or government agency last summer, you likely found some professionals who you really clicked with. Maybe they were your direct supervisors, or maybe they were just attorneys with positions or career paths that really spoke to you. Either way, it’s important that you don’t let the busy school season prevent you from maintaining the relationships you cultivated just a few months ago. To make sure you aren’t forgotten by your mentors, follow these four tips.

Schedule reminders

If there are certain events that you know were coming up after the summer ended, use those events as an opportunity to reach out to a summer mentor! For example, if you worked on a research project for a case and you know when the next hearing date is, set a reminder to email your supervisor after that date to ask how the hearing went. This will remind the supervisor that you contributed to this case, and it’ll also show your continued interest in the work you did over the summer. You can also set general reminders around December to email your mentor and wish them a happy holiday season. Again, this will help keep the line of communication open.

Set up news alerts

If you don’t know of any specific events coming up, set up news alerts that relate to your supervisor or any work you did over the summer. This will allow you to follow the organization you worked for, the people you worked with, or the matters you worked on from afar. If there are any major developments or accomplishments related to any of the above, reach out to your mentor to congratulate them and check in.

Share relevant classroom insights

While sitting in my law school classes, I’ll often read a case or learn a bit of insight that’ll remind me of my summer experiences. When that happens, it’s a great opportunity to shoot your mentor an email. This is yet another way to show that you’re still thinking about the work you did over the summer, and it also shows that you’re continuing to pursue opportunities to learn about that area of the law. And who knows, what you learned might even be useful to your mentor in the future!

Make a date

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in law school, it’s that attorneys are typically open to meeting with law students for conversations, whether that’s over the phone, on Zoom, or for lunch or coffee. I’m pretty confident that your summer mentor is no different. Calling or meeting with them in person will help you maintain the strongest relationship possible, as you’ll be able to have a more in-depth conversation than you would have over email. Use this opportunity to talk with them about their path to where they are today and your own goals for the future.

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Tess Halpern is a third-year student and president of the Impact blog. Contact her at halperte@bc.edu.