Mentors
I’m writing from a conference of heads of school from leading independent schools around the country. Among the roughly 100 attendees are a half-dozen heads – some active, some retired – whom I am lucky to call mentors. Two are former supervisors, and the rest are people I’ve met along the way. They all, at some point, took an interest in my growth and are now always a phone call away when I need advice – and am smart enough to reach out. I feel enormously lucky to have them in my corner. Last week, I had a call with a former student I taught years ago. She graduated from college recently, is in her second year in a new job in New York City, and wanted to talk about what’s next for her education and career. I hope that I was helpful in some small way. And I was glad that she sees me as somebody she can lean on.
Mentorship is powerful. Beyond providing support and advice, mentors can open doors and, like in my case, shape careers. I know from talking with our alums that students at BUA pick up mentors during their years with us – folks they stay in touch with well beyond commencement. Most are BUA teachers and staff members. Some are BU professors who worked with our students in classes, in labs, or through senior thesis. Increasingly, our students are finding mentors among our parent and alumni community through our career mentoring program. Our hope is that a four-year experience opens the door to a lifetime of mentoring.