Irene San Juan and Elisa Sepulveda

Students Who Inspire
(from left to right) Irene San Juan and Elisa Sepulveda

The Importance of Mentoring

The following is an excerpt from the Hispanic College Fund Newsletter:

Irene San Juan on being mentored:

Even though she lives in New York, I sometimes feel like my mentor is sitting right next to me, guiding me.

"As a 2008 Verizon Scholar of the Hispanic College Fund, I applied and was accepted to Hispanic Young Professionals, a leadership development program that brings top scholars to Washington, D.C. Through the program, I was flown to D.C., where I experienced helpful workshops on transitioning into a professional career.

The highlight of the program though, was at one of our lunches at which we were paired with a mentor. Before the lunch, my mind began racing with the different possibilities of who my mentor would be. Was my mentor a female or male? Was my mentor a recent college graduate or a high-level executive?

I entered the room and immediately saw my name on a place card. A young woman in the seat next to mine presented herself as Elisa Sepulveda, my mentor. She asked me many questions about myself and was eager to get to a sense of who I am. I was surprised that she already had a copy of my resume with suggestions on how to improve it, as well as tips on handling my workload at school. Before we parted, we exchanged information and agreed that we would continue to communicate with each other when we left.

Elisa has been such a great help throughout the school year, giving me advice on how to handle difficult teachers and stay motivated to study for finals. We email each other once or twice a week, keeping in contact about school. She makes sure that my priorities are set and that I better manage my time.

Elisa is very thoughtful and is always thinking about me. Sometimes I receive spontaneous emails with internship opportunities that she thought would suit me. She has also helped me prepare for interviews by giving me helpful links and brainstorming questions that might be asked. Even though she lives in New York, I sometimes feel like she is sitting right next to me, guiding me.

Elisa is one of the best mentors that I have had and I greatly appreciate everything she does. It is people like Elisa and people at HCF who make students like me reflect on all my hard work to see that everything I do is worth the time and effort. When I have a bad day she is there for me, boosting my confidence and making sure I succeed. Elisa is truly a role model and continues to inspire me everyday on my journey through school."

Elisa Sepulveda on mentoring:

Being a mentor to Irene has taught me a lot about myself. I see a lot of who I was in college in Irene.

"I am currently a student at the Johnson School of Business at Cornell University and a member of Women's Management Council, a club dedicated to expanding the resources and opportunities available for women in business. Through this organization, the Forte Foundation sends us emails, one of which was from HCF advertising their need for mentors. I thought this would be a great opportunity to give back.

I was lucky enough to have 3 extremely involved mentors throughout my college career. One of them was Juan Arbona, a Puerto Rican Assistant Professor in the Growth and Structure of Cities Program. Through his guidance, I discovered my real interests. I wanted to be able to provide a similar experience to a Latina interested in business.

Through Hispanic Young Professionals, I was paired with Irene. Being a mentor to Irene has taught me a lot about myself. I see a lot of who I was in college in Irene. During my sophomore year, I found myself over-committed to extra curriculars and under-whelmed with my performance in school. I am helping Irene figure out a balance between activities that are important to her and maintaining her grades. I call her, email her, and send her inspiring messages to give her some motivation to make it through classes and keep an eye on the prize.

I have also tapped into my resources to give her guidance. For example, she recently had interviews for a summer internship. I provided articles on financial interviews, information on the companies she was interviewing with, as well as contacts in the company to help her figure out what the right fit for her.

As a mentor, I have learned from my mentee. I have learned to stay committed through Irene's example of balancing her relationship with her family and her extracurricular activities. Most importantly, I have made a lifelong friend. The first time we met, we clicked, and I hope that we can continue to nurture our relationship and provide professional guidance to each other as well as be friends. I am honored to be a part of this program and I look forward to continuing to mentor with HCF in the future."