To close out Mentoring Month, the Mentoring Committee wanted to highlight an excellent resource and source of mentoring inspiration that may have hit your (physical) inbox over the weekend – the Mentoring Issue of Wake Forest Magazine

Starting off with a great introduction from President Wente, the issue emphasizes that amongst all the benefits mentoring can bring us both personally and professionally, it’s the element of care that is perhaps the most important and most transformative aspect of mentoring.

“When we each think of our life’s greatest mentors, their words and their actions, the moments in which they guided us and the times that they let us find our own way, make it clear that they cared, They cared how we were doing. They cared about our plans. They care about us in the fullness of our own humanity, as much as they cared about our academic and professional success.” – (p. 2)

The issue is filled with great examples and stories that highlight the relational aspect of mentoring, including one by our own Dean Pyatt recounting the mentoring relationship he developed with his mentor and former boss Ken Druckett who hired Dean Pyatt for his first professional library position at University of Oregon Special Collections.

“He was just such a generous person. We would have coffee together almost every afternoon. He was a storyteller, and he would tell me a story from something he’d done in his career…I almost felt like those were my little master classes, having coffees with him. I used to really look forward to that: ‘What am I going to learn today from Ken?’” – (p. 10)

This issue does a great job of highlighting all the different ways mentoring can look – from students mentoring faculty and staff, alumni mentoring alumni, colleagues mentoring each other – showcasing in each the importance of a relationship built on care. The story “Turning the Tables on Teaching” offers a perfect example of the different forms mentoring can take – exploring the origin of the “Student Technology Advisors” or STARS program which, in the late 90s and early 00’s brought students together to teach their teachers to use computers in the classroom ( helping Wake Forest rank #1 in Yahoo!’s 1999 survey “America’s 100 Most Wired Colleges”). Alumnus Amanda Epstein Musson, recalled helping music instructor and internationally acclaimed guitarist Patricia Dixon build her own website, describing:

“‘It was a role reversal, where the professors I worked with were afraid that pushing the wrong button on the keyboard could cause a catastrophe…But Pat and I became very close over the years, and it became more about the friendship that developed while you built a website together…It made the professors less afraid,’ she says.

Dixon sums up her feelings toward Musson in one word: ‘Grateful.’” – (p.30)

Finally, the incredible (and beautifully illustrated) guide that highlights the wealth of mentoring resources and services for our campus community (and beyond!) on pages 48 – 51 demonstrates Wake’s commitment to, as Dr. Wente describes in her introduction to the issue;

“…close mentorship and support, coupled with our deeply rooted ethic of care that makes it possible for all students at Wake Forest to reach their fullest potential.” – (p.2).

Be sure to check out the Spring Issue of Wake Forest Magazine for more mentoring inspiration and insight into all the great mentoring resources available at Wake Forest.

As always, don’t hesitate to reach out to the mentoring committee for questions about mentoring specific to ZSR or to get matched with a mentor. We hope you found this month’s mentoring-focused blog posts inspirational and helpful!