Why I mentor: Beth Finn, manager of retail services at Staples

January is National Mentoring Month, and we are highlighting a number of perspectives on mentoring, events, and ways you can get involved in the field. Today’s blog is a Q&A with Staples’ Manager of Retail Services, Beth Finn, a mentor to an 18-year-old high school senior at the John Andrew Mazie Memorial Foundation in Framingham. Staples is supporting a statewide mentoring public awareness campaign for the third consecutive year.

• Why is mentoring important to you?

I have personally benefited from being mentored, and I continue to benefit every day. Learning from others is one of the best ways to grow!

• What is the most rewarding experience you’ve had mentoring?

My mentee and I love spending time volunteering, hanging out and having fun. Here are some highlights: creating cards for soldiers and working up a sweat cleaning the Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary at the Audubon Society in Natick. Through our mentoring program, we need to complete a number of volunteer activities, and even though we had volunteered already, we were short one volunteer event with an approaching deadline…so we did an impromptu park cleanup one Saturday. We picked up trash and loved it! Both of us really enjoy doing these activities together. Also, my mentee and I attended the Mentoring Night at Fenway last year. It was Dianna’s (my mentee) first time at Fenway, so it was great to bring her. The highlight came after the game. We took one of those bicycle pulled carts back to my car. We laughed hysterically as we sped around corners in Boston on the back of that bike. Neither of us had been on one before and we really loved it.

• What piece of advice do you find most helpful for the people you mentor?

Work hard at things that will allow you more options in life. For example, if you put hard work and effort into school, it can pay off by giving you more options on where you go to college. It might open up opportunities for scholarships and will ultimately put you in the driver’s seat of your life.

• What advice would you give to other adults looking to become mentors?

If you are thinking about it, just do it. You don’t have to be perfect, you don’t have to be their “parent,” you just have to be there. It is pretty amazing to be a part of and have an impact on another person’s life.

• Who has been a mentor in your life? What are some of the lessons they taught you?

My best mentor ever, hands down, is Dave Larochelle. I was “assigned” Dave as a mentor on my first day of work at Staples, and we have continued to meet on a regular basis for the last six years. Dave helped me transition from college student (extraordinaire) to Staples corporate office employee. He has patiently listened to, channeled, and encouraged my enthusiasm during my career here. Dave has helped me through challenging work situations, encouraged me to push harder, and at times, he just sits and listens to me. The best things Dave has shared with me is his perspective and time. I have learned so much from just listening to him share his experiences and how he has worked through obstacles. Also, Dave was awarded the Staples “Silver Stapler” award.

• What inspired you to become a mentor?

My experience with Dave.

• What mentoring programs have you been involved in?

The John Andrew Mazie Memorial Foundation.

Why I mentor: Teresa Herd, VP, Creative Director at Staples

January is National Mentoring Month, and we are highlighting a number of perspectives on mentoring, events, and ways you can get involved in the field. Today’s blog is a Q&A with Staples’ VP, Creative Director Teresa Herd, a mentor to a number of youth. Staples is supporting a statewide mentoring public awareness campaign for the third consecutive year.

• Why is mentoring important to you?

It is important to me to feel like I am doing something in this world that is for someone else. I have been extremely fortunate in my life. I have been supported and loved. So in return, I wanted to share my time, my experience and myself with others who may not have been as lucky as I have been.

• What is the most rewarding experience you’ve had mentoring?

I taught a kid to count change and tell time with an analog clock. He is 15. We had been working on it for two years. I did not enter this hoping for anything for myself. These kids have been through more in their short lives than we will be through in a lifetime. There cannot be an expectation that they will “give back” in a way we are accustomed. My hope is that my mentee will be able to survive on his own once he leaves the system, so I focus on giving him skills he can use…and also try to laugh a lot!

• What piece of advice do you find most helpful for the people you mentor?

It really depends on the kid and understanding what they need. I mentored a college student and we talked a lot about how to get a job, reviewed interview questions, where to look, what to wear etc. I also mentor a 15-year-old who has been in the system most of his life. We talk about life skills. The importance of education. The importance of being nice to people. How to get what he wants in life in a way that is productive. The range is huge. There is no magic bullet.

• What advice would you give to other adults looking to become mentors?

I tell them it is a wonderful thing to do. That it is a huge commitment. The focus needs to be on the child. They likely will not thank you. They may not even speak to you for the first few visits. They will feel you out and make sure you are a safe person for them to interact with and even then, you may not get the rewards that you expect. So if you go in with no expectations you will be pleasantly surprised by the little things.

• Who has been a mentor in your life? What are some of the lessons they taught you?

I have had many. I had a great high school art teacher. She really helped me understand art and guided me into my career. In college I became friends with an interpreter for the deaf. She was 10 years older than me. She initially hired me to baby-sit her 2-year-old, but we became good friends and she helped me navigate through some tough times in school. I have had a few very good bosses who I learned a lot from and a coworker who agreed to mentor me when I was trying to advance my career here at Staples. So many great lessons learned from all. I try to give back whenever I can.

• What inspired you to become a mentor?

I have done a lot of work for organizations and on boards. I wanted to do something where I could interact directly with the people supported by the organization. And I really like kids! I still do the other stuff but enjoy the mentoring the most.

• What mentoring programs have you been involved in?

Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Home for Little Wanderers, AFC Mentoring and The Point Foundation.

Why I mentor: Katelyn Biancamano, integration coordinator at Staples

January is National Mentoring Month, and we are highlighting a number of perspectives on mentoring, events, and ways you can get involved in the field. Today’s blog is a Q&A with Staples’ Integration Coordinator, Katelyn Biancamano, a mentor at the John Andrew Mazie Memorial Foundation in Framingham. Katelyn’s mentee is a Framingham High School student who she has mentored for almost two years. Staples is supporting a statewide mentoring public awareness campaign for the third consecutive year.

1. Why is mentoring important to you?
   I began mentoring as a way to give back to the community. I have been lucky enough to have positive influences and support throughout my life, so I wanted to be able to help others experience that.
2. What is the most rewarding experience you’ve had mentoring?
   I can’t choose one particular experience that would stand out as the most rewarding. The reward is the relationship that you are continuously building with your mentee.
3. What piece of advice do you find most helpful for the people you mentor?
   I actually feel that it is most important not to give advice when mentoring. It is important to be there for your mentee and be supportive and a good role model, however, you want them to learn on their own and be who they are, not who you want them to be. You find that they don’t need advice to make the right decisions or to act appropriately. The whole program is more about helping the student realize their own potential, and to learn that they are in control of their life and future, and that there is importance in every decision they make.
4. What advice would you give to other adults looking to become mentors?
   I would think any mentor in the Mazie Mentoring Program would agree that you get just as much, if not more, out of the program than the students do. My only advice would be to give it a try, and don’t worry about whether or not you think you would be a “good mentor”. The Mazie Mentoring Program does an excellent job at matching students with mentors, and while you could be matched with someone from a completely different background, you will be surprised at how similar you and your mentee are, and how great of a friend you will have.
5. Who has been a mentor in your life?
   Growing up my parents were always extremely supportive and were great influences – I was very lucky to have that. They helped shape my morals and values growing up, and helped me to be the person I am today.
6. What inspired you to become a mentor?
   I had always been involved in community service activities throughout my life, but once I graduated college I didn’t have as many opportunities presented to me, and I found that I wasn’t taking the time to seek out these kinds of opportunities. I saw an advertisement on our company portal for the Mazie Mentoring Program, attended an informational session, and knew it was the program for me.

The John Andrew Mazie Memorial Foundation is dedicated to helping aspiring Framingham and Waltham High School students realize their full potential. For more information: www.mazie.org/become-a-mentor

Why I mentor: Beth Olson, director of IT at Staples

January is National Mentoring Month, and we are highlighting a number of perspectives on mentoring, events, and ways you can get involved in the field. Today’s blog is a Q&A with Staples’ Director of IT Beth Olson, a mentor at the John Andrew Mazie Memorial Foundation in Framingham. Beth’s mentee is an 18-year-old Framingham High School senior who she has mentored since she was 16. Staples is supporting a statewide mentoring public awareness campaign for the third consecutive year.

1. Why is mentoring important to you?
   I truly believe that mentoring is a win-win-win situation. Having a mentor offers an easier, better and more focused path. It helps the “mentee” become more proficient and successful in school and in life. It allows me to “give back” by sharing wisdom and experience. It helps society by developing well-rounded, knowledgeable young adults.

   Mentoring is a complement to school for these kids. In school they learn functional “how-to” things. As a mentor, I can be a coach and can assist with the more subjective areas of life – like what my mentee wants to have, do, and be; as well as things like how to deal with frustration, peer pressure, handling disappointment, being compassionate, and the rewards of being of service.

2. What is the most rewarding experience you’ve had mentoring?
   
   

   Beth and her mentee

   My most rewarding experience as a mentor? There have been so many! They include watching my mentee gain confidence – in herself and in our relationship. Some are small, like watching her be of service to others when we weren’t doing a community service project. We were just out together and she helped a single mom who was feeding her young son. He made a mess and she brought them over her extra paper plate and napkins. Some are larger, like listening to her tell me her New Year’s resolutions: to get all As and Bs, get her driver’s license, and get a job – and then watching her succeed quickly at all three. Another was taking her to her job interview and having them offer her the job on the spot!
3. What piece of advice do you find most helpful for the people you mentor?
   For me, being a mentor is about believing in someone even if they don’t necessarily believe in themselves yet. It’s about keeping it real – being honest and letting her learn from my mistakes. It’s about showing her that I don’t have all the answers but that doesn’t stop me from taking calculated risks, continue learning, and having the willingness to make mistakes. It’s about letting her know that life will not necessarily work out exactly how we plan, but we can control how we react to it. It’s about sharing perspective – staying positive – setting goals and going after them even if they seem out of reach.
4. What advice would you give to other adults looking to become mentors?
   It’s a fabulous experience, but you need to be willing to put in the time. If you are, you’ll reap the rewards tenfold!
5. Who has been a mentor in your life? What are some of the lessons they taught you?
   One of my high school teachers, and my first boss were both informal mentors. They believed in me and saw things in me I couldn’t see yet, but their encouragement led me to reach for goals I wouldn’t have thought I could achieve.
6. What inspired you to become a mentor?
   Being a mentor is a big responsibility. It’s a little like being a parent – only to a child who wants to listen. I became a mentor because I’ve learned a lot of lessons over the years, and I wanted to make a difference and share some of those lessons with someone who was hungry to learn.
7. What mentoring programs have you been involved in?
   I have been a mentor with the Mazie Mentoring Program for the past two years. Prior to that I coordinated teen and children’s workshops and was a resource group leader.

National Mentoring Month: The Need for Mentors in Massachusetts [Infographic]

As we mark the 11th annual National Mentoring Month in Massachusetts, we are reminded of the tremendous work mentoring programs and mentors do to make a difference every day in the lives of youth. However, there are still thousands of youth across the state that are waiting to be matched.

Our partners at Staples have created a vibrant, educational infographic for National Mentoring Month that not only highlights the need for mentors but demonstrates the real impact that a match can have – on both the mentor and mentee. To learn how you can get involved in Massachusetts, please visit www.massmentors.org.

Data sources: Mass Mentoring Counts 2010; Tierney, J.P., Grossman, J.B. and Resch, N.L. (1995). Making a difference: An impact study of Big Brothers Big Sisters. Philadelphia: Private/Public Ventures.