A favorite photo from Samantha Gobal’s first day with LYAC, waving goodbye as I dropped her off at the Senate Rules Room. Because sometimes mentorship means helping with transportation, too, but getting to be part of the little moments, the big milestones, and everything in between is one of my favorite parts of mentorship.
Ever write a letter of recommendation that brought you to tears? Ever had a mentor that believed in you and your aspirations in that meaningful of a way?
I am writing a college admissions recommendation for the young woman I’ve been mentoring since she was 15 years old.
I met her more than two years ago at the Center for Neurotechnology at the University of Washington. Since then, I’ve been more than a mentor, but her supervisor, her colleague, and someone who gets to watch her grow into the leader she is becoming.
Today, she’s the Executive Chair of Washington’s Legislative Youth Advisory Council, has advanced her first state resolution, written for The Seattle Times, and continues to find opportunities to shape the policies and systems that impact our communities. I have proudly recommended her for many of these opportunities, but watching her create her own has been the greatest privilege.
And it has me thinking about why this connections matters so much to me.
My acceptance into the UW NIH ENDURE program in 2024 truly changed my life. It gave me a platform, a community, and the opportunity to meet so many incredible young people who I’ve since had the privilege of mentoring. I never could have imagined how much that one application, and the corresponding letters of recommendation would ripple into the lives of others.
Now, as my mentee and I find ourselves writing college applications in parallel (hers for undergrad, mine for graduate school), I keep thinking about what I want to accomplish next.
I find myself wanting degrees, credentials, and accolades not because of the doors they might open for me, but because of the doors they might help me open for the people I work alongside and the impacts they’ll have for our communities.
I want to write the kind of letters that make people stop and recognize the brilliance, potential, and contributions of young leaders who deserve to be in rooms where decisions are made.
I want to create opportunities, make introductions, speak confidence into people who are still discovering their own power, and remind them that they belong in those rooms.
I take a deep investment in my mentees. Their accomplishments feel personal because their journeys matter to me. And getting to witness someone grow beyond even what I imagined for them? There is nothing quite like it.
I am forever grateful to UW NIH ENDURE, for changing my life in 2024 and setting so much of this in motion.
And to my mentees who will likely read this: being included in the pages of your stories is its own privilege I will always hold near to my heart and will shape my voice in advocacy. I am proud of each of you. Always.
