I’m Jamila, and I’m in my final year of a genetics degree at Queen Mary University.
One of the reasons I wanted to become a mentor is that, when I was younger and in Primary School, I was a really shy kid. I wanted to be the mentor for a young person that I would have liked to have had.
Because I was a very shy child, a lot of my parents’ evenings consisted of teachers telling my mother they wanted me to participate in class more. Even though I knew the answers, I would always hesitate to raise my hand and it was a trait I had to work hard on to overcome.
A mentor would have helped me work on my self- confidence. Being able to help raise the confidence of my mentee was amazing to see. I know I would have loved for a mentor to be there to do the same for me.
I was a bit nervous at the beginning, but as the weeks started rolling on I really looked forward to it. Honestly, it was the highlight of my week and I was waiting for the Mondays to roll around!
I really enjoyed the whole experience, and I can’t believe it ended so quickly, it was really fun! When I started, I wasn’t sure how much change we’d actually make but watching my mentee and the other mentees and mentors was so rewarding!
It’s beneficial to you, it’s beneficial to the young person you’re helping, it’s fun, you get to meet other people! It’s really rewarding and really fulfilling.