By: Hayden Pollard
During this past class session, we sat down and talked with Dr. Judy Goldsmith. Dr. Goldsmith is a professor in Computer Science, and has been a mentor since her undergrad years at Princeton. She came to talk to us about mentoring, and why it is so important, especially for women in STEM. Dr. Goldsmith has really done a lot of work in this area with multiple people, so she was very knowledgeable. We learned that mentoring comes in many forms. Some mentors will offer emotional support, while others will be able to give you information you need in order to be successful. Each of these aspects of mentoring are very important, and because all of these elements are needed, many mentors are needed as well. I thought that this was an interesting and very important point, because often times students think that they only need one mentor, when in fact they need a whole network of them in order to achieve success. One mentor cannot always offer everything you need, so it is vital to seek out many different individuals in order to find the right group to help you achieve success.
Dr. Goldsmith also pointed out that we, as students, could be mentors right now. We don’t have to wait until we are older and more knowledgeable about how our field work. Sometimes, a mentor just needs to be someone who is willing to sit down and be a listening ear for another person. This is very useful information, because sometimes I feel like I can’t really help others because I am still a student myself. The idea that I could just be there for moral support was a really good point, and one I hadn’t fully considered before this class session. This is definitely something I want to start doing for others, especially other women in STEM. Sometimes it is just so nice to feel like there is someone else out there who knows what you are going through, and understands how you feel.
We also discussed that having a mentor or a mentee is great, but that sometimes people just are not compatible. Dr. Goldsmith emphasized that it is important to have an “opt- out” option when it comes to mentoring. This way, if something is not working, it is okay to just walk away and not waste your time. This is important, because as great as it is to have a mentor, sometimes they just cannot offer what you need. They may be a great person, but its not fair to waste either of your time. On a similar note, if you are a mentor and things are simply not working out with your mentee, it is fine to let them know that you will not be continuing the mentoring relationship. It is important to get something out of a mentoring experience, and if that is not happening, it should not be continued.
As a woman in STEM, mentoring is so important in order to be successful. Dr. Goldsmith was able to give valuable information about this topic, and engage us in conversation about how to be the best mentor possible, and how to find the best mentor possible.
Dr. Goldsmith also pointed out that we, as students, could be mentors right now. We don’t have to wait until we are older and more knowledgeable about how our field work. Sometimes, a mentor just needs to be someone who is willing to sit down and be a listening ear for another person. This is very useful information, because sometimes I feel like I can’t really help others because I am still a student myself. The idea that I could just be there for moral support was a really good point, and one I hadn’t fully considered before this class session. This is definitely something I want to start doing for others, especially other women in STEM. Sometimes it is just so nice to feel like there is someone else out there who knows what you are going through, and understands how you feel.
We also discussed that having a mentor or a mentee is great, but that sometimes people just are not compatible. Dr. Goldsmith emphasized that it is important to have an “opt- out” option when it comes to mentoring. This way, if something is not working, it is okay to just walk away and not waste your time. This is important, because as great as it is to have a mentor, sometimes they just cannot offer what you need. They may be a great person, but its not fair to waste either of your time. On a similar note, if you are a mentor and things are simply not working out with your mentee, it is fine to let them know that you will not be continuing the mentoring relationship. It is important to get something out of a mentoring experience, and if that is not happening, it should not be continued.
As a woman in STEM, mentoring is so important in order to be successful. Dr. Goldsmith was able to give valuable information about this topic, and engage us in conversation about how to be the best mentor possible, and how to find the best mentor possible.