We all have that person, or those people, past or present that affected our future. Look around you, could you have made it where you are without support? Could you imagine where you would be without them? I couldn’t, so I would like to thank everyone from my mom to my high school photojournalism teacher. All of you have impacted me for the better, and I cannot tell you how grateful I am for my mentors.
They say that “behind every great man there is an even greater woman,” but really, behind every successful person there is someone who helped them get to where they are. A mentor is more than a role model; they are the people that cheer you on and help you when you’re in need of direction. The sense of support they provide is different than a parent or a significant other, but they do not lack in love. There is no reward for the mentor but to see the fruit of their labor. Their selfishness is shown in providing what the mentee needs to get somewhere that maybe the mentee could not get on their own. They do it because they see something in the mentee; it is different for each, but it is the same for every mentor to spot it. They see an opportunity for the mentee. A Mentor is a selfless person furthering another person toward an opportunity that they may not have had.
The ability that I admire most in a mentor is the ability to see what others cannot see in themselves and make a difference from that one move. It shows their selflessness again, but also shows their intuition. My mentors have always been good at finding what their proteges strengths. This trait always comes with a mentor; they have the amazing ability to see what other don’t. Mentors then not only have an obligation to society and the future, to call what they see to fruition, but also to the mentee to create an atmosphere of self-learning. Bringing new talent to the stage can be seen as the new replacing the old, but it doesn’t always mean stepping on toes. In the worst case scenario, it means mentors become peers, which actually is the best part. The peer aspect comes from mentors treating their mentees as adults even if they have a few years to go. I want to thank my mentors for finding and pointing out my talents, all while treating me with a great deal of trust and respect.
Some mentors can easily see themselves in their mentees; that isn’t difficult to imagine. But the hard part for the mentors is to not recreate themselves. While an aspect may seem similar, it is in the mentees best interest to work on their existing talents, but also add their twist to what they do best. More than anything the mentors that I admire most were the ones that showed me what I should do but let me have free reign with my creativity. In other words, they supported the foundation, but they let me paint the walls. There is no difficulty when your mentor has a great deal of trust and little apathy for their community. In a community where competition rules all and being number one is held by a high sense of importance, no one will be a winner. In an environment where peers, colleges, and mentors can work together, that is where the true magic happens, and this can only happen if everyone is expected to be their own person.
The best part that comes with the mentor/mentee relationship that I have found is being taught to do in kind what others have done unto you. Through all the years and all the mentors I have had, I hope to see the younger generation benefit from relationships with a mentor. I hope to see it on the side of mentor instead of mentee. I hope that I can be one-fourth as amazing as the mentors I have had. If I could be that awesome, then I know I’ll be the greatest mentor. I appreciate all that they have done for me, as intangible and deeply rooted as my qualities may be. I want to say an extra thank you to my parents, Mr. Baily, Mrs. Wissler, and Ms. Akers, without all of you, there is no way that I would be the woman I am today.