For as long as I can remember, I have always loved asking questions. "Why this and Why that" are probably my two favorite phrases in the English language. This is not to irritate, as it comes naturally to me to be inquisitive. What it is, I realize is my affinity to rely on the knowledge of someone who knows something I don't, or who has been there and done something I intend to do. The end result is my willingness to be a "Mentee" to an outstanding crop of people who have positively impacted my life and are referred to as my "Mentors"
ON BEING A MENTEE It is a beautiful thing to be able to pick up the phone and without thinking twice, call up one of my mentors whenever I feel like I am in a rut, unsure on how to proceed, or just plainly need some good advice.
Ex. 1: one day last week, I found myself in a logistical bind regarding work. Wasting no time, I call up my mentor: Millicent Ojumu (if you are an avid follower of the blog will remember gave an insightful interview on moving back to sierra leone). It amazes me how willing she always is to rescue me from an unforeseen calamity. After talking about work she proceeds to inquire about my overall well being, my family and my upcoming plans for the rest of the year. As a refresher, Millicent is the Managing Director of the consulting firm CLAS CONSULT with operations in the UK, Liberia and Sierra Leone. For me, she has always been a role model in seeing how successful she has been at balancing the act of being a company exec, a wife and being a young mum all at the same time.
Ex. 2: when people say that you can be wise beyond your years, they most certainly had my mentor Aguibou Ly in mind (who also previously shared his experiences of moving back to Guinea on the blog) Last month, we met at the Mining Indaba in Cape Town and after not having seen him for awhile, we were in for a long catch up session. This young lad, who can easily be my younger brother but with lots of experience in the Mining Industry behind him, took me under his wing and introduced me to every goddamn person I wanted to meet at the event. People always wonder as to how plugged in I am in the Francophone Africa community, given that I am not one. Well, one word, thanks to mentors like Aguibou Ly; – because that’s what “mentors” do, they open pathways for you and impart knowledge which you otherwise wouldn’t have been able to achieve on your own.
ON BEING A MENTOR
“Sharing is Caring“ folks!!. I like to share info, knowledge, and some aspects of my life. What I am trying to say, is that these past couple of years I have in my own little way tried to “pay it forward” by being a mentor to up and coming youngsters who have sought my advice and it is with great pleasure that I do it.
Ex.1: this is what it must feel like to be a parent and watch your child grow. For it feels like just the other day my mentee Assie Williams was about to set sails for South Africa for the first time. You see, like me, she is African and a first generation American, like me she had grown up in middle belt America, and like me she decided to quit her job in New York and take up a position with the Carlyle Group in Johannesburg, SA. Why?- because like me she wanted to play a role in contributing towards the success story that she thought Africa could be. So in essence, a year after I left Johannesburg, I had a mini-me replacement back in town. Fast forward to today, and I see how far Assie has come professionally, personally and has adapted well to living in SA. One cannot help but feel a pang of pride in knowing that I played a part in some small way towards her present day accomplishment.
Ex.2: Sometimes the inner spirit just warms up to certain people and that is exactly how I feel about my mentee Fatou Fye from Senegal. To recall, in the early days we struggled to communicate as between her English and my French, we don’t know whose was worse 🙂 However, with unwavering support I guided her academic path to a law internship in Ghana and another in New York. However, all this while, most of our conversations are done predominantly in French, so I never got a grasp of how far she had come in becoming perfectly Bi-lingual. Last week, Fatou and I sat in the teacher’s lounge at Sciences Po and given our surroundings our conversation progressed into English. To my amazement, the little girl who had nervously told me back in 2015 that – “Juanita – ma reve est de parler anglais juste comme toi/my dream is to speak English like you”- was no more. In front of me was a young lady, completely fluent in English, sharing her views on world politics and contemplating the PhD program in Law at Sciences Po. I shook my head and told her Fatou – you are definitely on your way!!! So dare I say that I have created another Mini-Me yet again 🙂
Mentorship thus far has been an amazing journey and as I encounter great role models and mentors along the way, so has my interest grown in paying it forward. Last year, as part of the mentorship team for the Nigerian Philanthropist Tony Elemelu’s 10,000 Africa Entrepreneurship program, I got the privilege of also assisting; Hadiza from Niger with her Juice Manufacturing Business in Niamey; Kossiwa from Ghana with her Maternity Products Outlet in Accra; and Vissolela from Angola with her Fish Farming Venture in Luanda. These women, truth be told have given me as much as I have given them during the course of our friendships/mentorships. I celebrate their victories, empathize in times of failure, and remain their biggest fans through thick and thin.
Dear Folks – when I look back at my mentorship experiences I am left with the thought that; I may not know the end of my own journey, but for now I am really liking the woman that I have become. Thank you for reading and please stop by again.
Your Girl, Juanita Nene xoxoxoxoxo
Comments