GRAND PRIZE WINNER: "Top Ten Benefits of a MentorNet Relationship"
Rebecca Sawchuk, The Dow Chemical Company, mentor
Dana Gary, Carnegie Mellon University, protégé
How has the MentorNet mentoring relationship contributed to our educational, professional, or personal growth? We thought this question could best be answered by sharing Rebecca and Dana's "Top Ten Benefits of a MentorNet Relationship":
10. Guidance
Dana: "There are so many paths that I have not yet encountered in life and it helps tremendously to have someone to talk to who can help guide me through these paths. Rebecca can offer more objective guidance than a parent, a sibling or even a peer. Also, there is no competitive component to our relationship, so I know the advice and guidance she gives is sincere."
9. Energy
Rebecca: "Dana's participation in so many activities - a dance troupe, violin lessons, and committee work - made me realize there was a little too much reality TV in my life, and not enough reality! Dana infuses me with energy. Now I have tried kick-boxing, hang-gliding, and tutoring - all requiring energy (sometimes equal amounts!), and all worth the effort."
This positive reinforcement gives me the boost I need to persevere in these challenging activities.
~ Dana Gary
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8. Support
Dana: "When I've encountered a positive or negative event in my life, I can tell Rebecca all about it with full confidence that she'll express her support for me. She offers unbiased, objective advice for many situations, for example, my interest in graduate school. She is supportive of the decisions I make and comforts me by always looking at the 'bright side' of nearly every situation. Her sincere support is always warming because I know that she is really looking out for my best interest."
7. Growth
Rebecca: "At the end of the school year, I put together an album for Dana. I included excerpts from our email discussions, pictures, and inspirational quotations. In reading back through our exchanges, I noticed that I was originally trying to share all my "valuable insights" with Dana. However, I was surprised to find that over the course of our emails that I had grown and changed, and our MentorNet relationship had a lot to do with that. When your aim is to help others grow, you can't help growing some yourself!"
6. Perseverance
Dana: "School work and activities can become overwhelming at times. Rebecca provides so much praise and encouragement for all the things I have going on in my life, almost like a third parent, only much younger and cooler. This positive reinforcement gives me the boost I need to persevere in these challenging activities. Whether it's an engineering organization which challenges me mentally or a dance practice which challenges me physically, knowing that there are people who admire and encourage my hard work makes it all worth it."
5. Challenge
Rebecca: "Dana's exploration of paths such as graduate school and various companies for summer jobs has challenged me to develop new goals and plans. Now I'm taking on new work projects which are out of my comfort zone, aiming to learn four languages by age forty, and fund-raising for birthday and holiday gifts for the kids at a local transitional living center."
4. Motivation
Dana: "Having a mentor who followed a similar academic path to mine gives me something to strive towards. Knowing that I could someday be in Rebecca's shoes keeps me motivated to work hard. Rebecca also motivates me to try new things, to travel, to create lasting friendships and so much more. She shares countless stories with me about her college days which motivate me to make the most of my time in college. She has reached a place I hope to reach, and I hope that one day I can achieve a similar level of happiness and success."
3. Perspective
Rebecca: "In our email discussions of MentorNet's suggested topics of short-term, long-term, and alternative career plans, I was reminded of all the different paths one can take with an engineering degree. After I thought over some options, I took another look at my job and realized there are actually many parts of it that I like and do well. With that perspective, my job satisfaction has improved."
2. Confidence
Dana: "Having Rebecca as a mentor has helped my self-confidence in a big way. I have a tendency to underestimate my own potential and am consequently reluctant to pursue things which seem out of reach. Rebecca is always there to give me the extra push I need to reach a particular goal. When I ask for advice in a particular situation, Rebecca will often tell me how she worked through a similar situation herself. Knowing that she made it through the situation gives me the confidence to just 'go for it.' She backs me up by having faith in my potential and often, it is by seeing someone believe in me that I am able to believe in myself."
1. Community
Rebecca: "Being part of a mentoring pair, whether you are the mentor or the protégé, gives you a sense that you are part of a bigger picture - a long and interconnected chain. Mentors feel they are giving something back, creating and strengthening the links in that chain. I would not be surprised if protégés in turn choose to become mentors someday, continuing to build that chain."
Rebecca Sawchuk
Rebecca has participated in MentorNet's One-on-One E-Mentoring program for the past three years, and encourages you to become involved! Rebecca earned her Chemical Engineering degree from McMaster University in Canada in 1993. Since then, she has worked in various roles and locations for Dow Chemical Canada Inc. and The Dow Chemical Company. Rebecca currently lives in Houston with her husband Mike and their two labrador retrievers, Freddy and Charlie.
Dana Gary
Dana is a student at Carnegie Mellon University studying Chemical Engineering. She also has minors in Biomedical Engineering and "Colloids, Polymers and Surfaces." Dana holds positions with the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the National Society of Black Engineers. In her spare time, Dana loves to dance, play the violin, watch movies and spend time with friends.