Women's Studies Doctoral Candidate, University of Maryland College Park American Association of People with Disabilities Intern, 2013
As a woman of color with a disability from a low income background, I have benefited tremendously from many mentors throughout my educational and professional experiences. Many of my mentors choose to go far beyond their job descriptions to make sure that I was given the tools and opportunities needed to reach my full potential. They enabled me to pursue an advanced degree and work towards my personal and professional goals. Having experienced the benefits of good mentoring, and learned lessons from less favorable mentoring experiences, I value the mentor and mentee relationship tremendously and am committed to its success. I do not believe that progressive and sustainable social change, or meaningful advances in research, policy and practice can occur without it.
I see mentoring as a reciprocal exercise which allows both mentor and mentee to grow and learn from each other. However, it is the mentee's experience and growth which is priority. My focus is on learning about the mentee's needs and desires and figuring out together where I can be of most assistance to the
