The Power of Mentorship

Rethink Your Perception Of Mentoring Relationships

BY MICHELLE LEACH

WOMEN

DIRECTOR,

COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGIST, UNETECH INSTITUTE, UNMC

Mentorship can come in many forms. For women looking for a mentor in the metro area, that relationship can be defined in many ways.

Lasting Relationships

For Gina Ponce of Women on a Mission for Change (WMC), mentorship is substantive, meaningful, valuable experiences and relationships.

“As a mentor, I feel I have been very successful,” said Ponce, who leads Bellevue University’s outreach efforts to the Latino community. “Sometimes [mentees] spread their wings and move on but come back to celebrate themselves and you. It can be long term or short term depending on the needs of the mentee.”

As a mentee, Ponce said she was always “willing to receive and enact whatever it was that I was receiving that would make me successful.”

“I always sought people in my life who I could connect with,” she said.

PARTICIPANTS OF WOMEN ON A MISSION FOR CHANGE SHARE THEIR VISION BOARDS. (COURTESY OF BELLEVUE UNIVERSITY)

WMC is an organization that has been in the “business” of helping women and girls since 2011, according to Ponce.

“And I still talk with some of the participants of the conference, the gala and the girls who have participated in the mentoring program,” she said, while referring to signature events and offerings. “By staying in touch, they are reminded that if they need us we are still here to assist them. them have come back as speakers, have written books, graduated college, and started their own businesses. That is how we measure success.”

Generally, Ponce said the most important aspect of mentoring is just “being there.”

“Sometimes women do not know where to start,” she said. “If they have a mentor, the mentor can guide and support them through their journey of life – personally and professionally. women is to lift others up, and watch them be successful in whatever they are trying to accomplish.”

As another nod to the WMC Women’s Conference slated for March 24, Ponce said that throughout the event women are present with other women who are in the “same place,” who share their journeys, and from whom they can learn from.