Mentorship offers students opportunities for growth

Thursday, Jan 23, 2025 • Thomas Johns : thomas.johns@uta.edu

While many develop skills and ideas through academic programs while attaining their degrees, mentors can help connect a students new knowledge with their ultimate goals. Finding a mentor during college can allow students to develop a beneficial relationship that can extend well into their future career.

 

Mentorship relationships can extend experience and provide insight into new ways of thinking and growing throughout a students college experience and into their professional life.

 

“Mentorship, first and foremost, is a relationship with someone. Whether it’s peer-to-peer, an upperclassman, or just someone who inspires you, these relationships are very important because they provide growth for both parties,” said Jhonniece Meeks, University of Texas at Arlington College of Business Coordinator for Access and Achievement. “Connecting with a mentor will allow you to glean some experience and set you up for what to expect in a variety of roles and situations.”

 

The value of these relationships allow mentees to gain meaningful knowledge for navigating a variety of professional obstacles, while also continuing to develop soft and social skills.

 

UTA College of Business Accounting Senior, Lauren Garcia, spoke about the effect her mentor had one her personal and professional growth throughout her educational experience.

 

“I learned a lot from my mentor. She got me to look at the type of job environments I want to be a part of and how to focus on connections,” Garcia said. “I feel like I know her personally, and can shoot her an e-mail and meet up to talk about anything. It’s really helpful to have a mentor like that because they can help you grow. Their advice and critiques help you improve towards your goals.”

 

Lauren Garcia (Left), and her mentor Lisa M. Ong (Right) pose for a photo during a University of Texas College of Business Mentor Mixer. (Photo by Jhonniece Meeks)

Lauren Garcia (Left), and her mentor Lisa M. Ong (Right) pose for a photo during a University of Texas College of Business Mentor Mixer. (Photo by Jhonniece Meeks)

 

While the mentee gains valuable knowledge, the mentor develops leadership skills and continues to learn from the mentee, while helping to shape the future of their organization.

 

“While the mentor is normally the primary guide of growth for the mentee, they also end up learning from their mentee. Mentors share their experience but can learn about new experiences by looking through the lens of their mentee,” Meeks said. “The mentor can also learn more about themselves, and also build valuable relationships with their mentee's for the future.”

 

These relationships work both ways, acting as a simultaneously beneficial experience for both parties within the relationship. Garcia’s mentor, Lisa M. Ong, Wishing Out Loud executive coach, speaker, and inclusion connector, explained the benefits mentors gain through guiding tomorrows professionals.

 

“Working with students as a mentor, I get a lot of energy and get to learn about new trends in technology like AI and social media. It’s not just giving, you’re also gaining experience in leadership while helping them tackle challenges,” Ong said. “I get a lot of joy from being a mentor. I gain a lot of close friends and get to see them grow in their positions.”

 

While finding and corresponding with a mentor is highly beneficial for both parties, students may feel nervous about finding the right mentor or might feel as if mentorship isn’t for them. But a mentor, or group of mentors, are unique to each person and can help in a variety of ways.

 

“Most people are afraid or hesitant to ask for help. But you don’t know what you don’t know. If you ask for advice from someone, you’re showing respect to the other person in the sense that you value what they have to say,” Ong said. “There’s a lot of people with a lot of wisdom. If you ask for a little advice from someone, you’d be surprised how much information you’ll actually get.”

 

The UTA College of Business offers students a multitude of ways to create these relationships, and hosts events for mentorship relationships to blossom organically.

 

Along with networking events like Mav Networking Night, MAVpitch, and others, platforms such as MavONE create a focused platform for mentees to seek out mentors that fit their future best.

 

MavONE is an online platform that connects Business Mavericks, alumni, employers, and mentors together to help advance career goals and find community. MavONE provides opportunities for job and internship postings, resources for success, and connecting alumni and professionals to our students for talent acquisition and mentoring. Through the platform, potential mentees are paired with mentors based on their interests, goals, and personality.

 

“Through MavONE , I was paired with my mentor, Lisa. I was paired based on my major, my interests, and some of the organizations I was a part of,” said Garcia. “Since starting my mentorship with Lisa, I’ve gotten better at communicating and branching out. When you’re looking for a mentor, try to find someone you can see as a leader or a person who can help create value within yourself. Someone who can help you see yourself for you.”

 

With many ways to meet and connect, the UTA College of Business encourages potential mentors and mentees to share knowledge and experience to benefit one another and create lasting bonds to create successful futures together.

 

“Professionals are much more willing to help than most students believe. Students just need to make sure they enter into a mentorship relationship knowing what they want to gain from it,” Meeks said. “It’s also important that everyone knows that you need a mentor for different seasons of your life. How you connect with different mentors can help you make great decisions and develop you to your fullest.”

 

For more information on mentorship resources, please sign up for MavONE. And always be on the lookout for those who can inspire and guide you.