Get To Know Our Summer Cohort!

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Our 2022 Summer Mentorship program is well underway, with lots of pairings of women around the city from different backgrounds and experience levels. You can read our last blog post about our current mentorship program and how it’s structured here.

From everyone that applied, we were able to create various matches. Here are a couple mentors that joined us to answer a few questions about their experience so far. 

We spoke with May Lam, who is the Head of Client Partnerships at Architech Software Consulting Services and has over 20 years of experience, and Michelle Shiveck, who has been a Management Consultant at Accenture for the past 4 years. 

YWiB: Thanks so much for joining us, May and Michelle! Could you tell us about your mentees and what they were initially looking to get out of this program?

  • May: My mentee had recently moved from Vancouver to Toronto and just started a new job. She was looking for support on adjusting to the new city and in a new job.

  • Michelle: My mentee is a few months into a new role at Nestle. She was looking for general career advice, navigating a new company and advice on how to work towards bigger picture career goals.

YWiB: What are some of the topics you have discussed with your mentee? 

  • May: We’ve talked about how to effectively network and manage work relationships to support her career growth. I gave her my insights on how I would approach it based on my years of experience climbing the corporate ladder.

  • Michelle: Sophie and I have discussed starting at a new company and how to navigate virtually while still forming relationships with colleagues. We’ve discussed how to have conversations with managers and make sure you’re getting what you need from them and the most out of your job. 

YWiB: What are you getting out of this experience as a mentor?

  • May: Being a coach to the younger female generation and being able to share my learnings, in hopes that it would provide guidance on their career growth.

  • Michelle: I’ve enjoyed making a new friend and also getting to chat about my own career; it’s making me think about the big picture again since I’ve been so bogged down in the day to day of work the last few years. I love supporting those early in their career and giving advice that I would have loved to receive when I entered the working world.

YWiB: How have you communicated with your mentee? 

  • May: Over Zoom! 

  • Michelle: We’ve been meeting both in person and virtually. 

YWiB: Thank you both so much for joining us and answering our questions. 

This cohort is wrapping up their time together, and to celebrate, we are hosting an end of summer event at the end of September where all participants have the chance to meet each other, share their experiences and network. 

If you’re interested in joining our next cohort, applications will be open in the fall for a January start date. Stay tuned!