Bringing Value to Mentees and Gaining Much More in Return

On What Got Him Into the  Albers Mentor Program

What attracted me to the Mentor Program was a combination of elements:

• I looked back on my own experience and would have appreciated having a dedicated mentor for both my education track as well as throughout my career.
• I was attracted to the Jesuit tradition at Seattle U and an educational process where students are encouraged to grow personally and spiritually, testing their values, developing a sense of responsibility beyond themselves and for their community.
• I was looking for a place to share my experience and talents and the Mentor Program was a great fit. I’m now finishing my 26th year with the program.

His Experience as a Mentor

I have absolutely loved being a mentor. Over the 26 years I’ve had the pleasure of working with more than 60 students.

One of the things you learn as a mentor is you hope to bring something of value to share with your mentees and, in retrospect, find that what they have given you is equal if not greater in return. I’ve been energized and invigorated in countless ways learning from the many students I worked with. These shared experiences have enriched my life and continued my own personal understanding and growth.

A busy life as a student works against the best aspects of the program—I’ve had students carrying full time credits, working part time and completely immersed in academic life, making it difficult to take advantage of the Mentor Program.

The same goes for mentors—workload, travel, community and family commitments make it difficult to find time to meet with students. Recognizing those challenges up front makes finding available time easier to work through.

One last thing to add is that both mentee and mentor should prepare to be vulnerable. For mentees, this means sharing their greatest concerns, such as a job interview that may not have met expectations. Discussing the questions they felt least prepared to answer allows the mentor the opportunity to provide assistance.

For mentors, the ability to share that a career trajectory is not always a straight upward line—there are always challenges and failures—and the ability to share those experiences is an exercise in building grit, resilience and the knowledge that you’ll get through these times.