Mentor Kickoff Recap
At our Mentor Kickoff Events on Thursday, June 4th, and Saturday, June 13th, we had the opportunity to bring together our newest Mentor cohort to build community and to provide guidance, resources, and insight for the mentoring role. LINK staff shared necessary information on the year ahead to ensure that all Mentors feel prepared for their upcoming Mentor journey — and Mentors shared best practices with each other and spent time getting to know their cohort.
Several returning Mentors shared their thoughts about their mentorship journey with their LINK Scholars, including their inspiration and the rewards of mentoring:
I care deeply about assisting young people in their education-to-career pursuits. Getting to know my Mentee is special enough, and I love being close to those very special moments like getting into college and graduating from high school.
—Nick Johansson, Ariel Investments
I wanted an opportunity to give back to the community, and LINK seemed like a perfect chance to do so. It’s been really nice to be a resource for my Scholar through his college admission process.
—Bimi Adenkan, Sikich
Being a LINK Mentee myself inspired me to become a Mentor. The most rewarding part has been building rapport with my Scholar and watching him navigate the LINK program.
—Christian Beal, Northern Trust
For those considering becoming a Mentor, here’s what several experienced Mentors had to say:
Don’t overthink it; we all take a lot of experience for granted and have a wealth of knowledge to share.
—David Gobberdiel, Jordan Creek Tree LLC
You’ll get as much out of the experience as your Mentee will.
—Robert Zaidmen
Being a Mentor is one of the most rewarding experiences. I have lifelong connections with my Mentees.
—Franklin Reynolds, Amazon
Then, at our Mentor/Mentee Match Event on Wednesday, June 24th, Mentors got to meet their Mentees for the first time! We enjoyed pizza and a light program before Mentors and Mentees were given guiding questions to start their discussion and spent time getting to know one another.
Mentors, thank you for your commitment! We have a lot to look forward to, and we can’t wait to get started on what promises to be a meaningful year ahead.
