At the end of last quarter, I signed myself up to join a mentoring program that my friend, Maddy, set up. I was paired up with the VP of Enrollment and Marketing here at school. Before our first meet up, I was honestly intimidated. I mean, I’m about to meet one of the VP’s of my school!
Now, I need to share with you that I do have mentors. Two are in my department and one who travels around wherever the music goes. And they are all men. When I met my appointed mentor, one of the first things I shared with her about what I wanted out of this relationship, was that I needed that female perspective that my male mentors lack. So our conversations can range from anything to everything.
Meeting her for the first time was intimidating, but as we continued to talk, she’s a very energetic lady, who wants to have as much impact on the student’s life here on campus as much as our professors. The only thing that has kept her from truly doing that was that she rarely has that interaction that professors have. So when Maddy introduced this mentorship program, she was more than ready to grab onto this opportunity. On top of that, she loves Filipino food and culture. One of the few Caucasian individuals I know who appreciate Filipino food…
But back to our first meeting; we were talked about her career and how certain moments have lead her to our school. I’ve shared with her my worry of finishing school and life after college. Before we ended our meeting, she left me with the following insights:
- What new skill do you want to learn? How can you use it to support yourself?
- When you’re in a new environment (like a job), give yourself three years. It is allow you to understand the environment, culture, and the job, so when it comes to the third year, you are set!
- When you’re speaking with your friends, don’t be afraid to share that you’re looking for a job – and tell them exactly what you’re looking for.
After speaking with her, I’ve taken up sewing (also because I’m a fashion designer for a charity event here at school – but story time at a another time…) and I’ve refreshed my Instagram to give it a new purpose. Those were the two things that have inspired me to do something new and different. Otherwise, I’m still working on the rest of her insights.
But keep posted! I’ll be sharing more of what she and I will talk about in all our hangouts. Hopefully you’ll learn something along with me – as I dig through her wisdom.
Places And Spaces To Be In 