Lael Wentland
Lael is a 4th year Bioengineering PhD student. She is the FY21 local programming liaison.
The SWE mentor network is open now (March 29 - April 9, 2021), sign up to find a mentor at this link
I recently came across Erika Moore’s article in AAAS, “The more mentors, the merrier” and was struck by her deliberate work to seek out mentors during her PhD. This article made me realize that I had never established a formalized mentorship (beyond my advisor) until this past year. It was not until the COVID-19 lockdown that I realized the pitiful size of my network. I knew I wanted to enter industry but I had few connections in industry with people who had earned their PhD.
This past year I have been more active in seeking out connections. Now, I have a new formal mentor from industry that I meet with virtually. We may never actually meet in person since she lives on another continent! In this post I share some lessons and opportunities in having a mentoring relationship that will be purely virtual.
The GradSWE mentorship program connected me with my mentor. It took a few emails to figure out a time that worked for her busy schedule and our time difference. We decided that regularly meeting for 45 minutes every 2-3 months would fit our schedules. This whole process reminded me that their time is precious, especially since their schedule is full with their job and a young family.
When establishing our mentorship, the “contract” that GradSWE provided was extremely helpful. It was a platform for my mentor and I to set expectations on both sides. Writing out my goals for what I hoped mentoring could provide has helped my mentor decide what resources and information she should share. Additionally, my first email to my mentor included a short summary about me and some suggested dates for talking. You could even add a copy of your resume.
Having a mentor that lives in another country has been really rewarding. She has exposed me to ideas and companies that I had never considered. Our conversations on work-life balance culture in other countries has made me reconsider what kind of work and company culture I want to pursue after my PhD. Furthermore, I would never have made this connection through any other means. Now that everyone is more comfortable communicating virtually, there are many more people you can connect with as potential mentors!
The SWE mentor network is open now (March 29 - April 9, 2021) and you can sign up to be a mentee at this link. Also consider signing up to be a mentor (you can also be a mentee) at this link.
Beyond these dates, GradSWE also conducts mentor/mentee matching. The GradSWE mentoring coordinators can reached at any time via email at gradswementoring@gmail.com or via the GradSWE Slack in the #mentoring channel or by DM. There are specific times of the year when matching occurs but you can be put on on the upcoming mentee list looking for a mentor.
For other references, SWE has a good web page with collected resources on how to find and maintain a mentorship. Additionally, if you are looking for a mentor in academia, the SWE women in academic (WIA) affinity group has set up a new mentoring program for postdocs and new faculty (Please contact Lisa Cervia, Lcervia@broadinstitute.org, for more information).
This past year I have been more active in seeking out connections. Now, I have a new formal mentor from industry that I meet with virtually. We may never actually meet in person since she lives on another continent! In this post I share some lessons and opportunities in having a mentoring relationship that will be purely virtual.
The GradSWE mentorship program connected me with my mentor. It took a few emails to figure out a time that worked for her busy schedule and our time difference. We decided that regularly meeting for 45 minutes every 2-3 months would fit our schedules. This whole process reminded me that their time is precious, especially since their schedule is full with their job and a young family.
When establishing our mentorship, the “contract” that GradSWE provided was extremely helpful. It was a platform for my mentor and I to set expectations on both sides. Writing out my goals for what I hoped mentoring could provide has helped my mentor decide what resources and information she should share. Additionally, my first email to my mentor included a short summary about me and some suggested dates for talking. You could even add a copy of your resume.
Having a mentor that lives in another country has been really rewarding. She has exposed me to ideas and companies that I had never considered. Our conversations on work-life balance culture in other countries has made me reconsider what kind of work and company culture I want to pursue after my PhD. Furthermore, I would never have made this connection through any other means. Now that everyone is more comfortable communicating virtually, there are many more people you can connect with as potential mentors!
The SWE mentor network is open now (March 29 - April 9, 2021) and you can sign up to be a mentee at this link. Also consider signing up to be a mentor (you can also be a mentee) at this link.
Beyond these dates, GradSWE also conducts mentor/mentee matching. The GradSWE mentoring coordinators can reached at any time via email at gradswementoring@gmail.com or via the GradSWE Slack in the #mentoring channel or by DM. There are specific times of the year when matching occurs but you can be put on on the upcoming mentee list looking for a mentor.
For other references, SWE has a good web page with collected resources on how to find and maintain a mentorship. Additionally, if you are looking for a mentor in academia, the SWE women in academic (WIA) affinity group has set up a new mentoring program for postdocs and new faculty (Please contact Lisa Cervia, Lcervia@broadinstitute.org, for more information).
