Throughout National Mentoring Month in January, KU Alumni is spotlighting the strength of the Jayhawk professional network and the mutual rewards of mentorship through profiles of some of the Jayhawks who give their time to mentor fellow alumni and current students on KU Mentoring+, the University’s platform for mentoring, networking and community building.
Below, meet KU alumnus and Jayhawk mentor Ryan Reza, c’22, who is a state policy and advocacy manager at Susan G. Komen, an organization that funds breast cancer research, community health initiatives and advocacy programs.
Visit KU Mentoring+ to join the more than 16,000 alumni, students, faculty and staff on the platform and support fellow Jayhawks through career advice and connections.
What motivated you to become a mentor?
Reza: From what I have seen, one of the greatest challenges college students face is receiving the right advice from professionals as to how to break into the workforce. As a young professional, I knew I had both the time and energy to share what knowledge and advice I have with current KU students to help them become professionals themselves. From my experience, it is much more meaningful to receive mentorship from someone with comparable lived experiences as you have had, and so sharing my knowledge with the network was my primary motivation.
What does mentorship look like to you?
Mentorship is meeting your mentee where they are, what needs they might have, and connecting your lived experiences to theirs. When I rely on a mentor, I want them to view my perspective from their lens of life, and so as a mentor, that’s what I try to do for my mentees. Mentorship can help a mentee understand their present experiences from the perspective of someone who can see a bigger picture and offer the needed guidance through their own lens.
How has your mentee changed your perspective?
My mentee has helped me reflect on my own lived experiences as I learn to draw connections to my past with what guidance they are needing in the present. Even though my own path through KU and the professional space looks very different from what they may be pursuing, I have a better grasp on how to adapt the lessons I have learned to better assist them as they pursue their own career.
Why would you recommend someone join KU Mentoring+?
Part of being a Jayhawk is helping foster the environment offered at KU. Seeking an advanced degree is one of the most difficult decisions a person can make, and I believe joining KU Mentoring+ can really help students as they manage this new environment and part of life. I think every KU alumni should take the time to connect back with the KU community and expand the alumni network. Especially at a time when society feels so disconnected from one another, the University brings so many unique and diverse perspectives to Lawrence. To me, it would be a missed opportunity not to share my own experiences for current KU students to learn from.
