Articles

SHRM St. Louis Mentoring Program

In April, we launched our largest cohort of mentors and protégés in years. Eight mentoring pairs began their year-long mentoring program together with a kickoff call, hosted by committee co-chairs Rik Nemanick and Angela Louis. As we look forward to another mentoring class starting, we would like to look back on some of the prior years of the mentoring program. We asked participants in our 2020 Spring and Autumn classes what successes they have had participating in the program. Here are a few of their responses:

Clarissa Buckley, Protégé
“I could not have had a better mentor pairing! Katie shares similar personality traits with me but more importantly, she immediately identified with my areas of struggle and made sure I paused to reflect on both my strengths and my wins (this is sometimes a challenge for me). When we first started meeting, I was extremely frustrated with where I was in my career and I was not sure how to get "unstuck". Through a series of self-reflective activities and a DISC assessment, we were able to identify a career path that combined my interests and goals. Through the process of mapping out this career path, Katie connected me with individuals currently working in my prospective career. Katie has done everything in her power to encourage me and to educate me on the options that are available to me. She is a wealth of information and is so giving with her knowledge. This has been the best, most meaningful mentorship I have ever had. I am very grateful that this program exists and that through this program, I have gained a lifelong mentor and friend.”

Julie Logan, Mentor
“I have had two very positive experiences in the mentoring program. I will briefly describe one of those experiences. I was connected with a protégé, Molly Marroquin, several years ago. We linked up regularly and rarely missed our scheduled calls or meetings. Sometimes we met to discuss HR issues and create solutions, and other times we simply wanted to connect on a social level. Our professional relationship extended well beyond the mentoring period. Despite my relocation and Molly's relocation, we continue to stay in contact to this day, reaching out to each other occasionally. I received a very special note from Molly back in October, thanking me for all the support throughout the years. It was at that precise moment that I realized the SHRM Mentoring Program is a valuable relationship-builder and mutually beneficial to both the young professionals and the mentors.”

We will be launching our autumn allies in September, so check back with the SHRM St. Louis website when the application opens. Perhaps, you may join us for a great mentoring experience.