By Goretty Dias, Associate Professor in the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development
People always say that a mentor is a wise and trusted counsellor that helps one through life’s challenges and opens the door to opportunities. Most often we look to those older than us for this wisdom, but sometimes we can also find it among our peers. As I look back on my academic life, I have been very fortunate to have had guidance from such mentors. However, the one mentor that really stands out in my mind, who helped me understand the trials and tribulations of being a woman in academia, was my colleague, a mature doctoral student at the University of Guelph. As one of the first people to help me navigate my early career challenges, she truly made me realize the impact of good mentorship on one’s career and personal life.
At the time that I was doing my doctoral degree, only 5% of the grad students were women, and we were often being ignored or overlooked in the work setting and at academic conferences, and minimized and demeaned through non-inclusive language. Knowing the challenges that come with being a woman in a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) field, my colleague initiated a graduate student support group for women in science - which was a daring and innovative thing to do back then! It was a safe space to talk about our struggles and to empower us to become more confident in our work and opinions.
By being the organized, energetic, open-minded, diplomatic, generous and non-judgmental person that she was, we all experienced a positive and inclusive environment throughout our time there. She recognized that women in academia frequently experience the imposter syndrome and very often feel unprepared on how to express themselves in a work or academic setting. Not only do these feelings become internalized, but they are often a reflection of the treatment women receive by male and sometimes female colleagues within a workplace. The thing is that it takes only one person to break out of this cycle and inspire the next generation of women to become empowered individuals and leaders in their careers and workplace - and that is exactly what she was able to do as a mentor!
Striving to emulate such qualities, I’ve taken on mentorship as an important aspect of my work in academia. From her and other mentors in my life, I’ve learnt that effective mentoring means having an attitude of service and commitment to the process, an authentic desire to bring out the best in people, including the curiosity to always keep learning. It also requires strength and wisdom to know when to lend an empathetic ear and when to provide tough loving care, with honest constructive criticism.
In the end, being a mentor requires commitment, generosity and time. It is often a two-way street, because when done right, everyone has something to take away from it.