Anisa Navarro

GEN ST 170 A

December 13, 2023

Mentor Power for Success

Final Reflection Paper

I find that to truly reflect on my involvement with Mentor Power for Success (MPFS) this

quarter, it is imperative to consider how my participation in the program has evolved over my

four years at the University of Washington. As my work centers around my relationship with my

protege, I recall my own experiences as a protege during the Fall Quarter of 2020. At that time, I

was paired with a mentor who provided guidance, offered spaces to ask questions, be vulnerable,

and express the fears and insecurities I had as a first-generation student.

Upon completing my role as a protege, I returned to MPFS my junior year, Fall Quarter

of 2022, this time as a mentor. I was paired with an incoming freshman named Pilar, and our

connection extended beyond the initial quarter of mentorship, but throughout the academic year.

This mentorship highlighted the potential I hold to impact and positively influence someone’s

life. Now, as I write this reflection during my senior year, Fall Quarter of 2023, serving once

again as a mentor, I find myself blessed with the opportunity to connect with another wonderful

individual, my protege Wendy. My mentorship with Wendy is distinct from last year, however,

has been just as meaningful and impactful. Together, we navigated new experiences on campus,

and I relearned that it is never too late to challenge yourself and explore uncharted territories. I

realize that while I was the mentor to my freshmen, I was learning alongside them. I gained

insight into different lived experiences, witnessed passion for various topics, and saw the world

through fresh eyes.

 That is what leadership is about - the ability to both inspire and be inspired, to give and

receive love, to speak and to listen, to learn and to teach. My experience here at Mentor Power

for Success gave me the opportunity to not only guide and impact others but also have the

opportunity to find profound personal and intellectual growth - all within the beauty and

reciprocity of mentorship and leadership.

Throughout my academic journey at the University of Washington, I’ve been haunted by

the ongoing presence of imposter syndrome. Central to my imposter syndrome was doubt and

uncertainty about the value of my voice. Despite assuming the responsibilities of a mentor and

having additional years of academic insight, I still found myself questioning whether my advice

held genuine merit. Therefore, I believed my most valuable contribution to my protege was my

friendship.

Plaskett et. al. discusses the idea of both a mentorship and a relationship, by

instrumentality and relationality. In the article ‘Peer mentorship to support first-generation low-

income college students’, Plaskett et. al. says the best mentor and mentee matches incorporated

relational instrumentality where the mentor not only met the immediate needs of the mentee

(such as academic guidance) but also built a personal connection with them. Based on my

experiences with my mentee, I can affirm that the best mentorship relationships were built on the

foundation of both relationality and instrumentality. At the times when I wasn’t sure how to best

support my mentee as I was still figuring it out, I offered a shoulder to rest on. For the times that

my mentee needed guidance, I pulled from my own experiences and shared both my mistakes

and successes - being raw and honest about how I failed a class and so forth.

Asgari and Carter mention that the students involved in their study reported that their

mentorship kept them motivated and confident in their abilities, and even kept them engaged in
their University. While I can’t speak on behalf of my mentee, my mentorship relationship has

kept me motivated this quarter and has provided me with more confidence. Such as that I had to

constantly reflect on what I’ve done throughout the past 4 years in terms of facing difficulties,

reaching out to the community, and finding classes. By having to remember and reflect on all my

past decisions, experiences, and steps, I became more motivated to continue going - not only

because I’ve come so far, but also because my mentee would affirm that whatever advice or

knowledge I shared, genuinely helped them.

One of my goals this year, as I am a senior, was to do things I have yet to do, or become a

part of communities that I didn’t know existed - this was an experience of its own - however, my

mentee and I realized we both were attending or wanting to do similar things - one as she just

entered college and the other being that I was leaving college. I felt this spoke to the beauty of a

non-linear journey; there is no right way to do things or the correct order to experience things - I

felt like I showed my mentee the truth of my existence, and in turn, she did the same.

In terms of how my mentorship experience and leadership skills acquired will translate

into my future career aspects, this program is not directly correlated with my major - yet the

skills and experiences are transferable. Enhancing my interpersonal skills, kindness, and

empathy, speaks to my professional goals in joining policy making. To lead and make decisions

that can best help the community, I need to be able to communicate with my community and

give them space to grow, share, and ask. My professional aspirations are to help my Latino

community to be able to access resources without disparities. I find that while the work I do this

quarter may not help everyone - the connection I make with one individual is worth all the same

as I may inspire and be inspired by my mentee. I also believe that in mentoring and helping one

person, they may in turn help another or more people in similar or better ways.
 This feeling is one that’s mirrored and found to be true through the studies conducted by

Fullick et. al. Fullick discusses that psychological empowerment may be important in a

boundaryless career where one must go outside their comfort zone to develop. Such is in my

career aspirations where I’d like to be able to work not only outside of my comfort zone but

outside of the comfort zones of the people. I was once told that to have change one must be

comfortable with doing uncomfortable things, such as speaking on issues people do not want to

hear, or taking initiative for a free and just world. However, I would like to add that

psychological empowerment can extend far beyond just boundaryless careers but any career.

Especially, if you are first-generation low-income or first-generation from a marginalized

community. Psychological, behavioral, and social empowerment is how people of color create

change and disrupt the status quo. Even careers of boundaries benefit from the empowerment of

people, especially when these careers are dominated by our white counterparts.

All in all, my experience as a mentor throughout this quarter has empowered me, taught

me, and shown me more than I could have imagined. I can’t emphasize enough that while I

indeed was a mentor, I learned just as much from my mentee, as she claims to have learned from

me. The relationship of mentorship includes giving and receiving - teaching and learning - but

also experiencing what it means to be a student.

Work Cited:

Asgari, S., & Carter, F. (2016). Peer mentors can improve academic performance. Teaching of

Psychology, 43(2), 131–135. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628316636288

Fullick-Jagiela, J. M., Verbos, A. K., & Wiese, C. W. (2015). Relational mentoring episodes as a

catalyst for empowering protégés. Human Resource Development Review, 14(4), 486–
508. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534484315610730

Plaskett, S., Bali, D., Nakkula, M. J., & Harris, J. (2018). Peer mentoring to support
first-generation low-income college students. Phi Delta Kappan, 99(7), 47–51.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0031721718767861