How My Mentors Changed My Life.
Three stages of life and three mentors that promoted growth.
It’s common to hear people say “I’m not who I was in my 20's” or “that was the old me”. How many of us have fallen out of contact with friends simply because we no longer share common interests? We all change, so it’s only normal that we should change our mentors. I’m not saying that you need to stop learning from your current mentor. I’m suggesting that you just start looking around at the people around you when you notice that your life, desires, and/or goals are changing. You never know who could be the next person to help you along your journey.
The Mentor That Started It All
I worked in retail for over 8 years before I went back to school to get my bachelor’s degree in computer science. I started off as a part-time associate and I was far from being employee of the month. Yet I had this amazing manager, Emily, who saw something in me that I didn’t even see in myself. She didn’t hand me the sales lead position but rather she gave me the opportunity to earn it. She motivated me, possibly the first time I ever remember being truly motivated in my entire life.
That experience steam rolled my path to where I am today. Not only did becoming a sales lead turn me into a completely different employee but it changed my outlook on what I wanted from life. Shortly after becoming sales lead, I was again promoted to assistant manager. Eventually Emily left to work for another company where she ended up recruiting me to follow her. We continued to work together for another couple of years and during that time I kept growing as a manager and kept moving up in the company. Even after I left to work in one of our New York stores she continued to be a source of inspiration for me.
I didn’t know it at the time, but she was my first professional mentor.
The Mentor That Inspired Change
Eventually I moved back home to Seattle where I continued to work in retail. I was getting burnt out working every holiday, every weekend, and having a constantly changing schedule (and did I mention the ‘clo-pens’! If you know you know). I had a new mentor in my life though, Eva. My friend of over 10 years whom I watched grow into this powerhouse of a woman in cyber security all while she raised two boys and still found time to summit Rainier. We were friends before all of that so seeing what she could accomplish was an inspiration.
With her mentorship I decided to go back to school for Human Computer Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE) so that I could have a regular schedule and a good income. She helped me see the potential in the industry but also in myself. The more I researched tech careers the more excited I got about this new path. In tech, I could finally work on something meaningful. I don’t say that to minimize the work that retail workers do. They deal with some of the worst people and impossible expectations. I think that everyone should work at least one retail job and one restaurant job in their lifetime. It’s a humbling experience.
Eventually I decided that because I had to take coding classes for HCDE I might as well apply for the Computer Science (CS) program as a stretch goal even though I was terrified of the difficulty I would face in that program. I just thought to myself, “WWED” (What Would Eva Do). So I did it, and I got in to the CS program at the University of Washington.
She has continuously mentored me along my journey and hopefully for the rest of our careers. Whereas Emily was my mentor within the scope of the company we worked for, Eva has helped guide me towards the path of my future career.
The Peer Mentor
First day of community college as a fresh faced 30-year-old. I looked around at all the high-school running start students and recent high-school graduates and immediately felt out of place. I could have let that experience push me into a solitary college experience but instead I went ahead and joined Mathematics Engineering Science & Achievement (MESA) and the engineering peer mentorship program (as a mentor). I was amazed to find that quite a few of the people in MESA were closer to my age. I had no expectations of making friends while in college, but I did. I went to Edmonds Community College (now Edmonds College), and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience, from the teachers to the friends I made along the way.
One of the people I met through Mesa, Brenda, started at the same time as me and was also pursuing a STEM degree. I saw Brenda as friendly competition because she had her hands in all the pots; Student government, tutoring, multiple clubs, in addition to taking a full course load. Even once we both got into the University of Washington (UW) she continued to join clubs and organizations while also taking a full course load. On top of all that, Brenda recently underwent open heart surgery AND STILL GRADUATED ON TIME! Every time I thought I should change majors from CS to something easier I thought about all that Brenda was accomplishing and I pushed through my insecurities.
Brenda may not have been a direct mentor, but having her friendship and being able to be a part of her journey acted as a proxy for a mentor which was just as important to my success.
[Image below: Brenda and I at graduation].
Women supporting women. Whether you’re in school or already in the workforce it is crucial to have a strong network of women allies. These women can lift you up in times of doubt, help open doors you didn’t know were there, and they can inspire you to do more.
Who inspires you? Comment below so we can give them a shout out!
