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Divleen’s story
I’m now a total nerd about mentoring. I talk about it all the time!
After taking part in two of Brightside’s online mentoring programmes, the whole idea of it really resonated with me. So much so that I’m training to become a mentor now so I can have a full circle moment. I’m also always on the lookout for more mentoring opportunities now I’m at uni.
None of my family or anyone I knew had been to university, so a career in law felt so far away, like it was completely untouchable. There’s so much information out there that I didn’t know where to begin.
But it turns out all I need was someone to talk to.
I knew I wanted to be a lawyer, but I didn’t have the confidence to pursue it. People told me from a young age that I should be a lawyer because I was always persuasive, and when I researched it, it seemed like the right career for me. I decided I wanted a career that matches my skill set and that could set me and my family up for life.
But law is such a networking profession. How could I break into it when I find sending an email scary?
The messaging on the Brightside app was much less formal. It gave me great practice talking to people in the law profession and asking them questions. Without mentoring, I wouldn’t even know how to ask questions. I’m so much more confident talking to lawyers now. Mentoring really broke the ice of the law industry for me.
I was so scared to talk to my mentor at first, but I found out quite quickly that we both liked Marvel films and now I always ask new people this. And you know what? It works every time. We bonded over the latest trailers and built a great relationship from there. I like to throw in things about Marvel between the big questions so it felt like I wasn’t using him!
He gave me links to loads of materials I would never have found otherwise. The best example was a book that tells you everything you need to know about the City and breaks down all the jargon. He was absolutely great.
He set up calls, talked me thorough my university options, gave me feedback on my personal statement, helped me set goals for now and in the future and explained what a cover letter was. But most of all, he gave me confidence in myself.
I think my whole sixth form experience was less stressful than everyone else’s because of online mentoring.
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Mentee stories
Rano’s story
I knew I wanted to be a lawyer but I was concerned about the workload. My mentor was a working lawyer, so not only gave me advice about my UCAS application and interview questions, but also reassured me that you don’t need to overwork yourself to be successful. He told me about his personal experience of finding balance and saying no, and reminded me how important enjoying your free time is.