Mentorship

I hope everyone had a great holiday season and is having a good new year so far. I have been enjoying time at home. The winter holidays are just how I remember them — the ground is covered in fine, white, powdery… sand 🙂 and I’ve been enjoying 80-degree weather at home (San Diego).

I’ve had some time over the holidays to do some reflecting, and I’ve been thinking a lot about mentorship — which is one of the themes that came up a lot while I was in D.C. Each of the woman who spoke at the Colloquium talked about how she got to where she is today, and also how they want to help other women get there as well. I especially enjoyed Christine Lagarde, managing director of the IMF, who said she mentors women and also “keeps a list” for the occasion when a man tells her there’s no women qualified for a particular position.

In the U.S., there are some organizations designed to encourage women to become involved in the public service. I worked for the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus (MWPC) two summers ago and planned training events, a fundraiser, and also worked on two campaigns. There is also Emily’s List, National Organization for Women, The White House Project…and so many more. Readers, I’m curious do any of you have experiences with any of these organizations? Others like these? Or even a story about a mentor in your life? I’d love to hear them below.

P.S. The Women in Public Service Project is setting up an online mentoring program. Visit the Project’s Web site to learn how to get involved.