CHARLES: I've had the opportunity to come across a lot of amazing individuals
from various different backgrounds, but kind of the same interests.
Wanting to help and provide services to those that are in need and learning how
you can help influence one another in the -our different passions in the
things that we truly care about that are near and dear to us.
DENIQUE: Both the mentorship and the connections I've made here.
Uh -professionally, personally- have definitely had the most significant impact
on me.
I think because it is a career transition for me, it felt a little bit like starting
from scratch.
So it has professionally definitely met my expectations.
How open everyone is um is really awesome.
I have made some friends locally in the Bay Area just really being able to
brainstorm with people what we're doing next what we're interested in.
It's been a really expansive network and people come to PSI just really being
willing to share what they have to offer and I'm, I'm hopeful that I'm also
bringing something and because I'm definitely taking advantage of what other
people are sharing.
TOMECO: I am a mentor for the STAY fellowship program.
This is my first time being at PSI.
Basically I was supervising somebody and she kept saying that "you need to join
this team of people."
I really love mentoring students and I love the network between me and my
colleagues.
So I look forward to this great opportunity.
DENIQUE: The person I was matched with, my mentor, had a really similar background to
mine.
We both had career transitions.
So we were able to have some really rich conversations about what we leverage from
our previous careers, what I could leverage to head in the direction that I
want to and personally having access to the entire network of mentors has been
really helpful.
Just popping into conversations after seminars or running into people after
dinner.
People really make themselves available so I'm able to just ask questions about, you
know, being, being new to the profession being a woman of color in the profession.
It's a pretty diverse group that I got a chance to pick their brains on a whole
host of really cool things.
CHARLES: It's been very wonderful to sit and talk with my mentor various times
throughout the year, just about my different dreams and goals and just
learning about her, her passions.
What she's working towards and how I can take some of those elements and pull those
into some of the things that I'm trying to do with my life and trying to just allow
the wind to blow.
TOMECO: Yesterday we had the opportunity to meet all the STAY fellows and so during
that opportunity I was able to sit with many students find out their backgrounds
or what they're interested in and to support them in that area, answer questions
that they may have and I'm also learning from them like new things that's in the
field.
So it really helps me as a professional to help others.
MFP is like the best program I've ever been connected to I think it's, it's so
needed.
DENIQUE: I expected the content to be rich, I expected the sessions to be great.
I was really looking more for the personal connections that would last after that
both in the mentorship and in the professional and personal connections that
I would make with people and that's definitely happened.
CHARLES: I think it's had it has been a really great experience for me meeting
with staff, meeting with other scholars has just been really phenomenal.
Learning -like I said learning about different interests different people from
different backgrounds.
It's a network.
It's a family that I will continue to learn from, to grow with alongside of.
And so I would just say that, you know, it's a really amazing opportunity that I'm
very thankful for.