I am pleased to
announce my services as a space career mentor. I've been sitting on
this idea for a while and was finally inspired by a friend to move
forward with it. I want to thank all of my mentors and mentees for
giving me such great mentoring experiences over the years.
As a student, I
collected mentors. No matter where I was and what stage I was in, I
identified a professional who I admired and wanted to emulate.
Interestingly, these were never university-assigned advisors. They
were people I came across in passing or people I sought out and
partnered with. Only in the case of my graduate school advisor were
these formal mentors. Most of them had no idea that I considered them
a mentor unless I told them. When told, they often acted embarrassed
and didn't know what to say. Even the concept of an informal mentor
carries weight. And so I refrained from defining relationships as
thus an instead simply appreciated the individual as a colleague or
authority figure who inspired me.
Over the past few
years since I left academia, I've begun reaching out to individual
students and student groups to spread the love of space and inspire
space careers. Age ranges included elementary school through graduate
students and even a few early professionals. Although these
relationships are usually temporary, I have had the pleasure of
connecting with some of these students long-term. I've watched some
of them progress through high school and college and into
professional jobs. I've been a cheerleader and a shoulder to cry on.
I've watched some obtain their dream jobs and others leave the field
for a better path. I've seen them all grow.
These mentee
relationships, all of them informal except for one, have been
tremendously rewarding. It's my current and former mentees who I have
to thank for showing me how much I enjoy the relationship. It also
helps to know that at least a few of them think that I'm pretty good
at being a mentor. If I didn't know that I wasn't helping them in
some way, I wouldn't offer myself as a mentor. To know that they
think well of me and that I inspire them is a gift that they give me
in addition to the gift of getting to know them. I thank them for
their encouragement.
I also take
inspiration from my former career coach who assisted me in jumping
the hurdle from student to professional. She looked inside of me and
inspired confidence and courage. She showed me that I had potential
that I didn't know I had. It was from working with her did I realize
that formal guidance could be offered with the assistance of the
right tools, the right questions, and good listening skills. She
knew nothing of the space field, yet she played a large part in
guiding me to where I am today.
And so, I am
offering my services as a space career mentor. The details can be
found on the Astralytical website. I will still continue to speak
with student groups and assist individual students on an informal
basis, of course. This project doesn't replace my STEM outreach; it
enhances it. I never felt that I had the time to follow up closely
with each mentee to help them in the best way I could in the moment.
With formal mentoring, I can do just that. I'll be able to assist and
guide mentees in ways I haven't been able to before. And this excites
me!
Are you looking to
pursue or develop a space career, but don't know how or don't know if
you're on the right track? Do you feel lost, stuck, or uncertain? Do
you want to improve your career progress and prospects? Or do you
know of a student or young professional who may benefit from a
mentor? I'm here to help!
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| Hanging out in the VAB at KSC with college students at a STEM outreach event - August 2015 |
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