There is plenty of proof that mentoring adds a lot of value to the companies involved as well. We asked a few of our mentor host companies to talk to us about their mentoring experience. Here’s what they have to say.
“As a member of the community, it is imperative to ‘give back,’” said Kendall Wangsgard and Etta Williams, of BakerHostetler Law Firm. “Working with Mentor Foundation USA allows BakerHostetler—or any other company—to do that with more than just a financial donation.”
BakerHostetler has worked with Mentor for five years to provide students with the skills necessary to succeed. This past year, the firm offered onsite mentoring sessions at their office in Washington. Students participated in various workshops from goal setting, resume writing, to interviewing skills.
In a survey given to BakerHostetler employees who participated in the sessions, 100 percent of respondents gave positive feedback, many noting the positive impact on their personal development, said Wangsgard and Williams.
Mentor Foundation USA provides an enhanced ability for a company to engage its employees and provide positive exposure for the students. This direct, immediate impact on students, and the opportunity to provide them with improved outcomes, is a unique experience.
Kendall Wangsgard and Etta Williams, BakerHostetler
Earlier this year, 15 students visited APCO Worldwide to learn about careers in communications and public relations. Crisis experts from the company ran a crisis simulation exercise, giving students the chance to actively engage in some of the work APCO employees do, said Brent Crane, associate director of APCO’s International Advisory Council.
After the mentoring session, Crane said, participants from APCO thanked him for the opportunity to spend time with students and make a difference in their lives, however long.
“These are talented kids who just need the proper venue for the cultivation of that talent. I so applaud the work of the Mentor Foundation in providing opportunities for youth and putting them in real [world] situations designed to educate, motivate and inspire,” Crane said.
The work we do at APCO is important, the work that other organizations do is important, and we all make vital contributions to the fabric of civil society. A vital piece of that fabric is taking time to nurture and endeavor to inspire the next generation.
Brent Crane, APCO Worldwide
To apply to be a career mentor, visit Mentor’s website at https://mentorfoundationusa.org/get-involved/.
by Deepa Ramudamu