When we live miles from our families, and when our friends don’t understand what we’re going through, who do we go to for support?
Before coming to college, most of us lived with our families. Our families through the 18 plus years have helped shaped us throughout our lives. They were there for us when we needed help with our school work, needed assistance in finding a job, and everything inbetween. They didn’t give up on us and even though sometimes they didn’t know what we were learning, they tried their best to help us succeed. But when it comes time, we arrive at college and they aren’t there anymore. Who do we turn to for academic and emotional support?
Coming to college: in a way we’re all a little clueless about what to do and where to go. Lucky for us right off the bat we are given an advisor from the college. An advisor could be a professor that is currently teaching in your major and sits down one on one with us to talk about what we want to do and how we want to achieve it. They also know what classes we have to take, and they get to know us as a student, which can be helpful for many reasons. Advisors can be helpful mentors because they were probably a student studying about the same thing a number of years ago, just like us. But what if we find another mentor that isn’t in our major that we really look up to?
Having someone to look up to doesn’t always have to be an older verison of what we think we will be. They can be a totally different person with different experiences and future goals. We don’t have to exactly be them when we’re older, but we can understand what they’ve been through and their beliefs. Aspiring to be like someone is part of college. Students come to college to be something; be it a scientist, a teacher, a vocalist, or anything else they want. Most of these students want to be in these careers because someone inspired them. It could’ve been a teacher that really helped a student in grade school and now that student wants to do the same for another student. People that have influences on others don’t necessarily have to be a teacher or one’s family.
Maybe it’s someone that we don’t personally know or can’t actually talk to. It could be a famous person for example, Einstein or Beyonce; they aren’t there to help you in-person, but they do have an impact on you in a different way.
It’s important to take the knowledge we’ve learned and pass it along. Once we have had years of experience under our belt, we need to think back to who helped us get here. No one achieves success on their own. Being a mentor can be very rewarding.
A mentor is someone that has had experience in a specific field and is willing to work with another person to help them achieve the same goals they have and more. Having someone that has already been through exactly what we’re currently going through is a gift. They know what you’re feeling because they were in your shoes at one point. They believe in you, they motivate you, and they inspire you to do better than you thought you ever could. But that does not limit who we can look up to. It can be anyone that helps us; school or career wise, emotionally or belief wise, or anyway else that changes us into a better person. But the learning doesn’t stop there. Help someone that is in a similar position and watch them grow. It could change their way of learning and life path. Know the importance of knowledge passed on.
