Attn: Present & Future College Students, Think carefully before you mentor

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by Katie_UPS

I'll do this activity:

Why did I want to be a mentor when I was 18 (to the best of my memory):
I wanted to still be in FIRST.
I wanted to be a successful young mentor.
I wanted to be important.
I thought it would be fun.
I wanted to say I started a team.
I had other friends that were mentoring and I wanted to mentor too.
I was told it was hard and I wanted to prove people wrong.
I wanted to be a strong female in FIRST for other girls.

Did I think about helping students, or wanting to inspire kids the way someone inspired me? Maybe. I don't remember. And honestly, I probably thought/said that because I had to. Not because it came to me naturally.

Now lets cross them off.

I wanted to still be in FIRST.
I wanted to be a successful young mentor.
I wanted to be important.
I thought it would be fun.
I wanted to say I started a team.
I had other friends that were mentoring and I wanted to mentor too.
I was told it was hard and I wanted to prove people wrong.
I wanted to be a strong female in FIRST for other girls.

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Only half a reason exists (and I crossed off half of it because I know part of it was self-serving). I had seven -yes I know I said that number doesn't matter- and only half a reason wasn't self-centered?*

Mentoring, I've learned, is not about me (thanks Mom!). Its not about how I feel or what I'll gain from it. Its not about making me feel important or useful or letting me stay with FIRST. And most young kids who want to mentor say "because I liked FIRST and I want to stay in FIRST." Which has nothing to do with the students or their team, which is already the wrong reason to mentor.

*I am being honest and laying myself out here. I highly recommend you be brutally honest with yourself. Additionally, I don't want flack about being weak-willed or selfish because I didn't sugar coat my thoughts. We all have some ugly in us.

This is so accurate. Well said, Katie.