The mentorship journey can look different for Latino/a/xs

Early on in your career, you are told (ad nauseam) that few things are more important to your professional growth than quality #mentorship. Questions like “who is your mentor?” and statements like “my #mentor introduced me to…” can seem like a power play- and your obligatory response feels like a litmus test for how serious you are about your own growth and potential.  

So we spend a lot of time looking for the “right one.”  A picture-perfect mentor who will pour into us, help us grow, and connect us. And we do this without really knowing what we actually need in #career guidance, what we already have, and the true value of mutually beneficial mentorship vs. #sponsorship.

So off we go, seeking out a very “traditional” model of mentorship to help mold our often very non-traditional experience. The mentorship relationships we seek, however, are ones that are built for and by people who don't look like us or have our lived experiences. Yet we still crave these because they are what we have been sold. And I agree that the model- built by and for them, has worked for them. But that doesn't mean it will work for us or that we should turn away from our mentorship models. Let me explain. Of course, we want (and need and deserve) #mentors and #mentorship, sponsors and sponsorship- but I’d argue we actually already have these- however non-traditional they may be. They just might be harder to recognize. We have them through a complicated tapestry or patchwork of mentorship, sponsorship, and allyship- a melting pot of #madrinas and #padrinos, tias and primos, #jefas and profesoras and doctoras and school counselors, Youtube videos and books- we draw from all of these as we grow. 

In my case, networks had to be built. As a first-generation Latina of a blue-collar worker, I didn't step into one, which meant formal mentorship came later in my journey. So my early career relied on quasi-mentors and self-built networks (like LinkedIn), bringing a cultural nuance to our conversations that was intangibly valuable. My patchwork mentors understand ME and my culture, qualities, and values like folks outside of my community often cannot. 

Early mentoring (and sometimes late career-stage mentoring!) looks different in our community, it is indeed a beautiful patchwork, a paella of delicacies, and I want us to embrace that journey and celebrate it, not discount it. To be clear, that doesn't mean we shouldn’t seek a traditional mentoring journey (there isn’t enough space here to elaborate on the value of breaking into the systems that weren't built for us by way of a sponsor or mentor) it simply means, we must embrace the tapestry of early mentors/allies who are invested in our growth. Career guidance doesn't have to be seeking a permanent partner to walk through your entire career with you… It takes a lot of input and opinions when making decisions-  from your tia to the COO who has taken an interest in you. There are many people in your circle who can add a valuable perspective to your career; keep your eyes and hearts open and receive the mentoring in the shape and form that it comes. Tag a person who has been a part of your mentorship tapestry- and celebrate their contribution to your journey. 

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