What I learned, from my Mentor

First, I want to pose a question to you: Should teenagers and young adults consider finding a mentor? Perhaps. I believe that young people should take the time and look for those individuals who are way more experienced in life and are willing to offer advice. Advice spanning from personal situations to career and college goals. A mentor by definition is “an experienced and trusted adviser”. The benefits of having a mentor are exponentially positive. According to an article done by Youth.Gov the benefits for youth in having a mentor have better self-esteem and self-confidence. They have improved behavior and an improved ability to communicate with others especially their parents, peers, and teachers. Perhaps after reading my story, maybe YOU can encourage your peers to find a mentor or find one yourself! Or perhaps be interested in BEING a mentor.
I want to begin with introducing myself. My name is Noe. I am a 17 year old student in California. I come from a low-middle class household and I am interested in a career within government or even business and economics. During the 2016–2017 school year my school district had a conference with the Young President’s Organization an organization composed of notable business leaders and this is where I found my mentor. She had made quite an impact on me and I feel that she doesn’t realize it.
The moment that I grabbed her business card I felt that there was a connection and a strange one at that. I never imagined that fate would bring us together as a Mentor and Mentee. First, it all began with a simple book that she highly recommended me to read. “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change” By Stephen R. Covey and I was instantly pulled in as I read. I learned so much from the book but I felt that was a fraction of what potential there was and so I emailed her. I told her about myself and if she would be willing to work with me as a mentee. (Now, I know that asking someone to be your mentor isn’t the greatest thing to do, but hey! Here I am.) I never thought that I would get a response. I mean, who wants to respond to a 17 year old strange kid asking for you to be a mentor? I feel that she was hesitant at the beginning but as we began to talk and began to have that relationship it became such a great lesson. From her, I learned to open my mind to more ideas and possibilities. Wanting to be in government and maybe business we talked a lot about government regulations on small businesses and what struggles SHE goes through managing a company while being in a heavily taxed state.
So, I learned from her and she was able to bring me to a new door that was hidden. What was also impactful is that in a political sense I am/was a Democrat who strongly believed in Bernie Sanders’ policies and she is quite the opposite so it was quite the adventure, in fact she jokes about how I came to her as socialist and I am now here as a libertarian one of which I reluctantly agree with. Though, the main idea behind this is that she took an hour out of her busy day to talk to me. To speak to me about careers, potential colleges, my grades, and even the upcoming 2017–2018 school year. We discussed AP and Honor classes as well as school organizations that would benefit me. She motivated me to pursue greater things that I don’t have to be trapped where I am now and be free. She did this by showing me the work place, she decided to give me a small paid internship at her company and I learned responsibility. I learned how to get a check for the first time and how to manage my money.
In conclusion, my mentor has done great things for me and has left a long lasting impact on me. She taught me different life lessons, she taught me how the government and business works, and most importantly she taught me how to be a better pragmatic person. I want to push on in life more than before. My goal is to pursue better relationships with people, get healthier, have better confidence in myself and my abilities. Never have I been so empowered before.
Be a mentor. Become a mentee. Be the change in someone’s life. Be the spark that can change a young person’s life and that they remember your name at their graduation.
“Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.” -John C. Crosby
