Volunteer Spotlight – The most fulfilling part is knowing that you are positively contributing to someone’s future.

Volunteer Spotlight – The most fulfilling part is knowing that you are positively contributing to someone’s future.

by GT Scholars

We love our spotlight interviews where we get the opportunity to talk to our volunteers at GT Scholars! Our latest spotlight is on one of our volunteer mentors, Helen. She talks about the role that mentorship has played in her journey to success. Helen is passionate about sustainable energy, societal issues and climate change. She shares more about her experience as a volunteer mentor at GT Scholars!

Tell me a little bit about you and what got you to where you are today?

Yes, sure. Like most teenagers, and especially being Asian, the expectation was to get good grades, go to a good university and get a good degree. I did all of that, but I think the part that people don’t prepare for is stepping into the working world – that professional life. Like many others, I didn’t know what I wanted to do after university. 

I tried out a variety of roles; mainly in climate change and the energy industry. I found it interesting and I wanted to continue in those fields. As you know, subjects and societal issues like climate change have become more critical. So, it’s great to be able to participate and contribute to that. I’m currently working as a pricing analyst for EDF Energy, and I’ve been with the company for almost two years now.

What made you decide to become a volunteer mentor?

I had just moved to London and knew that I wanted to engage in some volunteering opportunities. I just didn’t know where and what I valued, so I had to look inward and say, “What do I believe in?” and I believe in quality education. So GT Scholars popped up in the search engine when I used this volunteering site to search for opportunities at the time and it really resonated with me. So I just jumped at the opportunity to offer my time to volunteer here.

Did you have a mentor as a young person?

Yeah, growing up, my family didn’t have much, so the mentoring that I got was, I guess, let’s call it “unofficial mentoring”. This was mainly from family and friends who were older than me and it shaped who I am as a person and the opportunities that I created for myself in return. And so, what GT Scholars is doing resonates within me, because I see it as leveling the playing field for everyone, no matter what their background. It allows them to have an equal chance at having a successful future career with resources that they can easily access as well. I think that’s important. 

What did you enjoy most about mentoring your scholar?

I think it’s interesting to see what life is like for the younger generation these days. It’s changed a lot since I was young. And so it’s interesting to see what they value and things like that. I find it very inspiring because these kids are much more proactive than I was at that age. We have seen the world grow and become more competitive, and I think it’s great that these kids are taking the expertise or resources they have and using that to their advantage. 

What goals have you helped your scholar to achieve?

So often, when you engage with mentees, it’s not on their own accord and is often guided by the parent. It’s a collaborative journey to understand what they want to gain from these mentor sessions. And usually, it is a career route. For example, trying to figure out an action plan on becoming a doctor, a nurse or a teacher. It’s really about giving them the tools to self-serve and see what is out there and the different routes that will enable them to become whatever they want to be. 

The example I gave for doctors and nurses was one of my previous mentee’s aspirations. They had to figure out what they needed to do in order to go into one of these professions. And it was a lot of juggling for both of us because I’m not in that profession and I wasn’t entirely sure myself. So, I needed to focus on giving them the tools they needed, based on what it takes for them to go into one of these professions.

What challenges have you helped your scholar to face?

Sometimes, scholars come to you for advice on how to manage soft skills, like time management or how best to revise, and often, I would borrow it from my own experiences of taking something that seems challenging and breaking it down into smaller tasks. 

So, as an example, one mentee had to memorise a paragraph of text. What I suggested is that they learn each sentence one by one without trying to remember the entire section at the same time because that can be overwhelming. And so, from that, they didn’t just learn how to tackle that particular challenge, but how to break big tasks into smaller steps. It is a life skill anyway.

What part of this mentoring process have you found the most fulfilling?

The most fulfilling part is knowing that you are positively contributing to someone’s future. I often think that because these children are so young, thinking about things like a career may not make sense to them now. I often hope that they will use the things we have spoken about, the resources that I have given them and the guidance I’ve provided in the future. That they’ll be able to say, “Hang on, I’ve done this before” or, “I was shown this and given tips on that. So, let’s revisit that and see what I can do”. I think that will set them ahead of their peers – knowing where to go for things and using their initiative.

What challenges did you face while mentoring your scholar?

So I’d say the main challenge was understanding what they wanted to gain out of the mentoring sessions because, often, it wasn’t led by them, but their parents instead. So, yes, figuring out why they were here was the biggest challenge. But after that, it becomes more of a collaborative approach. It’s not just what you want to talk about because what they want to discuss is also really important and finding that blended approach to get the most out of the mentoring sessions.

Why do you think mentoring is valuable to young people?

So, I feel not everyone has access to resources and advice and people need to know that it is out there; that people are willing to give their free time to give you the down-low on whatever you want to know. Especially since we’ve all been through it before. Having someone there to provide support to you is incredibly important, especially when you really need it. It’s a time of discovering, growing and figuring out your interests as well. And it’s sometimes good to have a sounding board there to say, “Is this right or not”? And I certainly benefited a lot from that growing up. So, I speak from first-hand experience when I say that mentoring is very valuable. 

What was the experience as a volunteer mentor like for you?

Mentoring at GT Scholars has given me the opportunity to refine my skills and to talk to people from different audiences. It’s one of those invaluable experiences, that’s how important it is. It has also been so rewarding. I feel fortunate that people are placing their trust in me on a topic that is very, very important to them. And as I said, I’ve always seen the role of a mentor as one that gives you the tools to explore, rather than to influence your decisions. So giving them the options to explore in their life is incredibly important.

How important has support been in getting you to where you are today?

It has been extremely important, more than I give credit to. You don’t always realise how something affects you unconsciously. The advice and the encouragement that was given to me have had a massive impact on the conscious decisions that I’ve made and in driving me to where I am today. This has been evident in every decision I made; taking a thousand subjects, changing schools, choosing universities and choosing my degree. Sometimes those decisions have been made alone, but, you know, some of those decisions have been made not just by myself, but with people’s support behind me.

Would you recommend becoming a mentor with GT scholars?

I’d say do it! It’s a very flexible programme, and it’s easy to fit into your schedule and your life. And also, you know, you’re not just enriching your own life, but you’re enhancing someone else’s life too. I think what GT Scholars are trying to achieve is admirable and you get a lot out of it. But, you know, the most important thing is that the mentees get a lot out of it as well. And it is such an invaluable resource to people who don’t have access to this kind of support in their personal lives.

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