Mentoring for Success 

An important leadership experience I had involved myself in was MPFS. I joined Mentor Power for Success the beginning of my junior year and at the same time enrolled into a class to receive credit for this opportunity. I got to mentor incoming freshman for their first quarter at the UW. My role was to make mentee comfortable in their integration into the University setting. This experience was very valuable to me as I received the chance to reflect on how I felt as a freshman and help my mentee in the ways I was never helped.

Being a mentor was important to me as I have never had one before that experience and I came to understand what being a good mentor was. I also understood that this mentor-mentee relationship is not one sided and takes effort on both sides to work well and become lasting. I was actively engaging with a freshman that was the same age as my sister who was also making the transition into the university setting. I was helping both my mentee and my sister and this was personally important to me as I treated my own mentee as my sibling. This helped me in understanding what they need and to be able to have them open up to me.

 Tasks Accomplished:

• Went through orientation training for MPFS

• Helped get my mentee integrated into the University setting

• Set up times to meet with my mentee

• Communicated effectively with my mentee over email and text

• Helped my mentee with everyday tips

• Attended MPFS events with my mentee

One of the leadership competencies I gained was the mentoring competency. I helped to mentor an individual that was new to the University setting and made them feel comfortable with their new environment. Over time, I gained my mentee’s trust and became someone that she  could rely on. I actively provided constructive and positive feedback as this mentee-mentor relationship is not only one sided but has to be reciprocal. This mentoring experience gave me a better idea of what I could do to improve my mentoring capabilities for the future.

Another leadership competency I gained was the inclusion competency. As a contributing member of the Seattle community, I had great joy in participating in this opportunity where I could introduce an incoming student to Seattle, the UW and what these places have to offer. I did my best to become friends first with my mentee and in that way make her feel included and feel that she has someone in this community. As someone who feels welcome in the Seattle community, I want everyone that comes in to feel this way. 

This experience taught me my strengths and my weaknesses when it comes to being a mentor. Verbal communication is something I have come to understand is necessary for all types of relationships. Becoming a friend first as well  for a mentor-mentee relationship is important for it to work effectively and effort must be put forth from both ends. For the future, I hope to mentor again someday and help my mentee feel integrated into whatever they are trying to get a hang of. For me now integration doesn’t just have to mean a new environment but can even be a new skill, subject, anything different that one could be new to learning.