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“Often young women set their sights too low just because that is what they know, but if we continue to expose young women to successful women and the path they took to be successful, I think we will help the younger generation stretch themselves to get even farther than we have.” -Erin Cline, Mentor photos by Michael Barnhill
Reflections on Mentoring Accenture mentors partner with CICS
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by Dr. Andrea Brown-Thirston
The Accenture/CICS Mentoring began as a pilot program in June 2008 with just ten high school girls from CICS. These ten girls were matched with female Accenture executives to experience a full day of job-shadowing and related activities. The girls and their Accenture mentors had such a rewarding experience with the job shadowing that we decided to expand the program in Fall 2008 to reach about 50 girls and include mentoring and goal setting. As the program expanded, so did the need for planning and coordinating the logistics of such a partnership. With almost 100 participants from CICS and Accenture, it was important that the coordinators from both organizations set a realistic timeline and discuss expectations with both the potential mentors and protégés. To this end, the Accenture coordinators and their team created a thoughtful pre-survey which they distributed to all participants to assist with more effective matching. In October 2008, the Accenture mentors and their CICS protégés met and spent an entire day learning about the various functions of Accenture, listening to panelists, and setting goals for their mentoring relationship beyond the one-day event.
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The outcome was outstanding. CICS Northtown protégé Consuelo Teresi said about her Accenture mentor, “I was either lucky or the survey really helped. Our personalities are so much alike that it’s very easy to connect with her. She listens to my opinions and respects them.” Just days after the October event, CICS Ellison protégés Mi’chele Johnson and Kehinde Oshun both expressed gratitude for being selected to participate in the mentoring program: “We really want to thank you again for choosing us to be a part of the Accenture program. Our mentors are really nice and we have already planned to meet with them.” The partnership between Accenture and CICS has been critical to the expansion of the program. The Accenture coordinators have provided support and feedback that has been invaluable to the success of the program. Our own CICS coordinators at each school have also supported the program by hosting campus visits and supporting the vision of the program at the school level. Program Coordinators Diona Kelly of CICS Ellison, Zoraida Martin of CICS Northtown, and Carmen Purham of CICS Longwood also attended Accenture’s International Women’s Day event with at least one protégé from each campus. The theme of this inspiring event was “Stretch Yourself,” the perfect message for our most talented
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CICS high school girls. CICS Longwood protégés Aja Hunter and Jade Mackey took copious notes as an Accenture board member discussed the characteristics of a leader. Displaying leadership qualities themselves, both Aja and Jade later submitted pointed questions to the panelists that demonstrated their attentiveness. CICS Ellison protégé Brooke Ray commented, “I thought all of the speakers were very interesting. I liked how they all were successful and I learned that I can some day become successful like them.” Mentor Erin Cline shared, “International Women’s Day was very enjoyable for me and my protégé (Brooke Ray). It was important for me to bring her to the event to give her more examples of what is possible for her future. Often young women set their sights too low just because that is what they know, but if we continue to expose young women to successful women and the path they took to be successful, I think we will help the younger generation stretch themselves to get even farther than we have.” As CICS continues to grow and expand, the Accenture/CICS Mentoring program will provide an exemplary model of programming which further supports the mission of a college preparatory education for all students. FocalPoint
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