My name is Ayanda Ndlovu, and this is my mentorship journey.
I received an email informing me about the Roots and Wings mentorship programme. From the moment I read the information and the minimum requirements, I knew this programme was designed for me. I spoke to my manager at the time and advised her that I would like to be part of the programme.
She said, “If I know someone who deserves to be part of the programme it is you”, she wrote my motivation and from then I was so excited to be part of the journey. What excited me more is that I have never had a mentor before, this meant I had to do a bit of research on what mentorship entails and as I read up about mentorship and began understanding what will be expected from me, I grew more eager to be part of this amazing opportunity.
Fast forward, I was invited for an interview which I was so nervous about, and thankfully Jenna made me feel so comfortable. It ended up not being an interview but more of a conversation, which I appreciated as it made me step into the most uncomfortable parts of my life. I was happy when I got the feedback that I made it into the programme, this ignited my personal and professional development goals.
On the 14th of February after the meet and mingle, I got home and created my vision board including what I want to achieve in this programme and wrote down the steps on how I plan to achieve those goals.
Then when I found out who I am paired with, listen this was the most amazing and perfect match ever made. My mentor Shaazia Khan, I just wondered how Jenna knew that she was a mentor I prayed for. On our first session we spoke about our backgrounds and what we want to achieve. I realised I am going to learn a lot from her, she is a mother, student, employee, the former GWII president and now part of the IIG council. I have a strong sense that from her I will learn how to manage time, how to show up and be seen and how to be influential yet remain humble.
I told her I need to pass my final exam to graduate, and I needed guidance on how to manage my time, how to sell myself in an interview, how to be effective and impactful. As my mentor she has assisted me in aligning my goals to my reality this has helped me identify who Ayanda is after just 2 meetings and this has made me more confident and eager to learn, unlearn and relearn so that I can achieve my goals and inspire others.
With the activities that she has assigned to me, I have managed to get a new job and move from my comfort zone, I cannot wait to share more as the journey continues. #Linkup
Article Written By Ayanda Ndlovu
