Who Mentored You?

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Who Mentored You? www.girlsclub.org

Who MentoredYou? The LESGC and TZONE invite you to tell us your story.

We are writing to invite you to tell an episode in your life, when someone said the right words to you at just the right time. It’s a common feature in the lives of most successful people. Someone, a teacher, a parent, a friend a colleague, listened to you and really heard you. They got you!

And they were able to offer the right words of advice or got into the weeds with you a discussion that firmed your resolve or gave you the direction.

Think back.

We believe in the power of story to inspire. Our goal is to show girls how to be the CEO of their own lives and your story can be one of the valuable touchstones along the way.

So, please take a moment to recall, when there appeared in your life a person who saw your potential, invested time in you, listened and inspired you your life’s direction. This may be the time to give back by passing it on. The power of a mentor.

Tyra Banks Valeria Tyra Banks is an actress, television

Girls Club Member, student.

personality, business woman and philanthropist and founder

How did you get involved with the Lower Eastside Girls Club?

of the TZONE, a leadership

I live on the Lower East Side and have been going to The Lower Eastside Girls

development initiative for girls.

Club for five years. This year, I am rising senior, attending Hudson High School for Technology. I live at home with my parents, my sister and two brothers.

Tell me a little bit about yourself what do you do during the day?

It

is different every day! I shift between business

I love the Girls Club, especially film and photography. I’ve been in two semesters

woman and “in the spotlight” personality. Some days are full of meetings with

of film/photo and I have had three

my business, The Tyra Banks Company; other days I’ll spend hours brainstorming

mentors. I like film/photo so much

ideas and new ways to approach and spread my core message of expanding

that I received a scholarship to

the definition of beauty. Some days are photo shoots or events. I have been

attend photography workshops

spending a lot of time working on the next Cycle of America’s Next Top model

at the International Center for

lately. This Cycle we have added male models to the normally female only cast

Photography in midtown. It’s

and it’s our Anniversary 20th Cycle, so it is a very exciting and busy time.

a museum as well as a photo school that has great equipment

Who mentored you?

My biggest influence is my mother. She taught me from a very young age

for creating images. I’ve discovered how much I like the visual arts.

that no matter what path life takes you, it is important to keep a center point of focus that is based on principles that you really believe in. If you don’t

Who mentored you?

waver from those beliefs you’ll never disappoint. There were times when I

I’ve had three mentors since coming to the Girls Club, Michelle in Crafty Chicas,

could have compromised but my mother kept me on track and things turned

Ariel in the Quinceañera mentoring program and Elizabeth who works at Google.

out better than any conforming would had. I feel like I would be nowhere without my mother’s guiding hand. Plan for the end at the beginning

The Crafty Chicas group is an arts and crafts workshop. Michelle brings us together once a month to do art projects that are one of a kind. For

Memorable words or “words to live by”:

instance, we did holiday-themed food sculpture. So unique. We made a

“Perfect is boring; human is beautiful.” The idea of being ‘Flawsome’

gingerbread house for Christmas. That was fun and really took hard work.

or embracing your flaws as things that make you awesome

It was beautiful when it was done. I always felt that I could really talk to

and unique. Always remember that there is no such thing as

her, and I made a real connection. With Michelle, I got over some of my

perfect, so the pressure to be that way isn’t real either.

natural shyness at the Girls Club and at school. In class, we even developed a book club and read books to each other. That’s where I discovered my

What do you wish you had known when you were a teen that you know now?

favorite author, Neal Gaiman. His book, American Scots, is a real find!

I wish that I had realized what a large world it is outside of our

In the Quinceañera mentoring program, I did a lot of stuff with Ariel. I went

hometowns and schools. We all have insecurities that seem to affect us

to the Museum of Modern Art for the first time. We went to a restaurant—ate

most when we’re teenagers. We also all “peak” at different times.

pasta with shrimp. When I did the photo workshops she came to my last show.

Ariel took me to Chinatown. We walked a lot and looked for things to shoot

When I was younger, the super popular girls that peaked in high school

when it was time to gather images for my neighborhood shoot assignment.

and made fun of me and my gawky looks seemed like the only thing that mattered. It made me miserable at times. I wish I had realized that it

Ariel’s really been a consistent friend. She has helped me with

wasn’t my time yet but that my peak was coming. In the end, you’ll see

homework, and encouraged my interest in film, taking my sister

how big the world is and how important it is that you contribute to it with

and me to the Tribeca Film Festival. Back in middle school, a friend

your flawsome-ness; not conform to what the trends of the day are. I’d

introduced me to Bollywood, and Ariel remembered and connected

also tell my teen self that the boy I’m crushing on is so not worth it!

me to the Hindi film mini-festival inside the Tribeca film festival. I love Bollywood, all the romance and drama with songs and dances!

I met Elizabeth at the Women and Technology Forum. Elizabeth works at Google

Who mentored you?

and one of the things we did together is we went to Google’s offices in lower

Like they say, “it takes a village to raise a child” and so there have

Manhattan. Elizabeth has helped me study for the SATs and she’s helped me

been many people who have mentored me through many internships

with an English paper. We’ve also done some things around my interest in

who encouraged me to find not just a job but a career.

visual arts and have done tours of exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. For example, while I was still in college, I learned an important lesson

What I wished I had known when I was five years younger that I know now:

about introducing change during my first internship. I knew I was

I am really shy and used to be much, much shyer. I wish I had been

creative or the analytic side. I saw a posting at the Career Center for an

encouraged to speak up more. I wish other people could see the real me.

internship at a biotech firm. I applied and got the internship—though

People say I am quiet, but I pick who I want to be with. I wish I had known

they may have been looking for a graduate student, they chose me!

interested in marketing, but I was uncertain about which part: the

that I can be more outgoing by finding people who I can be my real self with.

I dived in. They assigned a task to me that involved conducting

Words to live by?

focused outreach and education about the company’s latest drug

Trust in the Lord, and whatever you need will come.

advancements to physicians who treat neurological disorders.

In my enthusiasm to do a good job, I set out to organize their contact information to include notes on those physicians who participated,

Selena Ching What do you do during the day?

opted to attend, etc. so our outreach could be more targeted and could be utilized by others after the internship ended.

To my surprise, it more than ruffled a few feathers. It was the first

Lead Brand and New Ventures Strategist

time I had been yelled at in a business setting. I kept it together during the scolding, but called my parents soon after crying

How did you get involved with the Lower Eastside Girls Club?

my eyes out. I was afraid I would get fired! I talked to my

I got involved with the Lower Eastside Girls Club

system ought to have been set up as a matter of course

senior manager, who pointed out that while the tracking

through fortunate serendipity. At the time, I was

during previous outreach and marketing, change is never easy

living in the East Village and while going home I got

or comfortable. I wasn’t fired - thank goodness - but I think I

caught in a rainstorm. I ran under the first awning

learned something very important about introducing change.

I saw and it just happened to be the Girls Club office on First Street. I looked through the window and there

Here’s what I learned: if you want to create change you have to be

was all this cool stuff, an art exhibit, a piano … it looked awesome.

relentless. I learned that you have to bring what you have to the table, along

So I called the next day and talked to Lyn for 15 min and I was hooked.

with excellence and integrity. That creating real change involves and impacts others and the best way to introduce change, to invite them on the journey

I started out by volunteering as a mentor in the Quincenara program. It really

so they’re part of the process. No one likes being invited late to the party.

opened my eyes to the unique challenges and incredible curiosity all the girls shared. I was also able to share my passion for art with the girls and helped

What I wished I had known that I know now

organize local female street artists like Lichi and Alice Mizrahi to team up with

“Creativity begets creativity and happiness begets happiness.

the girls to celebrate women’s history month. We transformed the first street

So surround yourself with those things, people, events and

garden into a mural museum of incredible women -painting portraits and the

activities that propels you in the direction you wish to go”.

story of incredible women like Condoleezza Rice and Sojourner Truth among others. I also helped plan field trips to Spin NYC. I love ping pong and many

Words to live by

girls have never played before. And the next thing I knew, I joined the Board.

Stay curious.

Its hard not to love the Girls Club as it attracts passionate people, people who are pioneers in art, environment and technology and then empower girls through teaching and mentoring –and now a world class facility with its own planetarium—so the girls even have the stars at their fingertips. It’s all pretty amazing.

Faye Todd Teacher, volunteer, philanthropist. Faye Todd splits her time between

Cortney Novogratz

farm and New Jersey home, and teaches and mentors young people.

Mother, designer, author,

Who mentored you?

running a design business with her husband, Bob Novogratz, and

I’ve had two teachers who have had an enormous influence on who I am.

pursuing various design and aesthetic book and tv projects.

Cortney Novogratz leads a very active life as the mother of 7 children,

One teacher, Ms. Noling, taught English and fostered in me a life long love of literature. Her emphasis on “memory” work, planted the taste for good

Who mentored you?

writing. We memorized sonnets, Shakespeare and poetry of all kinds, as well

I can say unequivocally, my most consistent

as grammar. All the things I think we sell short, skip as being too difficult

and long time mentor is my mother

for high school students to learn. The “memory” work has never left me,

in law. She has been friend, advisor

everything goes back to that, committing poems, passages, texts to memory.

and the grandmother and like me,

The second teacher, Ms. Jean Buckley, is an art teacher I worked with in the 80s

she also raised 7 children! She has

through 90s. I met her at the Art Student’s League and took classes in painting

been my complete role model.

with her. She was a student of a famous painting teacher, Edwin Dickinson

We met when I was 20 years old

and passed on some his technique to us. We went on many painting trips

and she has influenced me in her

together—in Long Island and France to paint landscapes. I learned to see, to

love of fine and beautiful things, and

see as a painter does, painting one color next to another, and to open up the

her sense of style. Her love of antiques

world, using two card board right angles to make a frame and see the landscape

and decorating has had an impact on me, and

in detail. I learned it is not so much what you paint, but how you paint.

watching her I have picked up the tools to solve any problem. No one has the all the answers—not even my mother in law, but the way she approaches a

What you wish you had known when you were a teen?

problem, design or otherwise, has given me the tools I need in the long term.

The bleakest moments always have an element of humor. Be patient, even during the worse times, and you will find something funny.

What you wish you had known as a teen?

Words to live by:

Success comes with hard work. By success I don’t necessarily mean

Take very good care of yourself. People never die when you are in the

just financial achievement alone, I mean success—the balance between

bathtub—that is, you have time, even in a crunch, to take care of yourself,

working hard at an empowering career and happiness-- takes work. If

to collect yourself, and breathe. “Take a hot bath and shut the door”

you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work, but it does mean you

because there will still be enough time to deal with what’s next.

put in real time to making the most of your career and personal life.

Typical day: I get up between 5:30 and 6 or so for yoga, to make breakfast for my family, to see my sons off for training, and organize myself for the business day that begins at 8:30. We operate the business out of a home office and I spend the day with employees and contractors on our multiple design projects, and it is very fast paced. I finish my day at 4 to be ready for my kids—making dinner, and helping with homework. In addition to my children, there is almost always a guest for dinner, their friends or ours. By 11:30, I’m in bed.

Words to live by: Live fully every day. You can’t always predict/prevent what will happen in the future, but you can control what’s happening today.

Ursula Burns What do you do during the day?

My days at Xerox are busy with a wide array of activities. As the CEO, I create, communicate and implement the company’s vision, mission and overall direction. I regularly meet with my executive team to discuss business plans and progress. I also meet with our customers to learn more about their businesses, and how we can help them focus on their real business with our innovative services and technologies.

I learned many valuable lessons along the way:

• • • • • • •

Discipline Problem solving Turning complexity into simplicity Respect for “time to market” work processes Managing by fact Dependency on the contributions of others to create the greater whole Measuring and adapting

I travel to Xerox locations around the world to meet employees and

All of these are fundamental attributes of successful engineers

customers. Recently, I traveled to India where I spoke at a conference

and successful leaders. The other lesson here is that dreams do

for women in business offering advice and answering questions.

come true, but not without the help of others, a good education, a strong work ethic, and personal courage and confidence.

How have you come to know the Girls Club?

I grew up in a neighborhood similar to those that are served by the Lower

Words to live by

Eastside Girls Club. I know the young women in the neighborhood have

I was raised by a wonderful single mother in the rough and tumble public

and will continue to benefit from the services offered by this dedicated

housing projects on the lower east side of Manhattan. Many people told me

group of women who have come together to offer activities and workshops

I had three strikes against me… I was black. I was a girl. And I was poor.

helping girls discover and enrich their interests, education and skills.

My Mom didn’t see it that way. She constantly reminded me “where I was didn’t define who I was.” She knew that education was a way up and out.

Who mentored you?

Early in my career at Xerox, Wayland Hicks chose me to be his executive

Today, as CEO of Xerox, I see a lot of opportunity for young professionals.

assistant. He and I have very little in common if you look at our background,

The number of jobs in the U.S. economy that require science and

style or even political leanings. It was a defining and teachable moment for me,

engineering will grow, but the number of people prepared to fill these jobs

to see that you could respect and work with someone who is so different in just

is shrinking. The U.S. will need to draw not from half of the population…

about every way that you could imagine. He became a mentor, good friend and

but from the entire population. So, bottom line: We need more people

role model. He was a very tough guy. He challenged me… but also listened to me

to pursue engineering careers, especially women and minorities because

and saw something in me. He gave me the opportunity to work with him, learn

our companies are better when we build engineering communities that

from his example, and travel throughout the company as his executive assistant.

are diverse and inclusive. That’s how we get closer alignment with the diverse set of customers we serve around the world. Those who enjoy the

What do you wish you had known as a teen that you know now?

challenges of science and math – and are good at it – will be able to find

It’s important to really think about your future. Make sure you have a

academic and job opportunities that can lead to rewarding career paths.

reasonably good idea of what you want your future to look like. Look at the full picture… the whole life that you want to live. Really think about it and then find something to do that you love. If you don’t love it, then consider finding something else.

You will have to work hard and it’s easier to work hard if you love what you do. It’s also important to leverage education as a gateway to success. I studied hard in school and was offered a scholarship to a great college. Again, through a good education, hard work and focus, I was able to secure an internship with Xerox.

I loved the experience, worked hard and never left.