You’ll get more than you give

It was an honor and, frankly, a surprise to be asked to serve as a Young Professionals of Wichita mentor. One of us wondered whether her retired status would keep young professionals from relating to her, while the other wondered whether her work experience was enough to make her a relevant mentor. But we were both humbled and excited to join the first YPW program matching community and businesspeople with interested young professionals for a number of reasons.

First, those willing to contribute to our community’s success deserve all the help they can get along the way – especially younger professionals who may be wondering whether their future lies in Wichita or not. As the Chung Report showed us, we all need to work to make young professionals want to use their talents and energy here, rather than moving away.

Second, we feel strongly that our community and our careers have given us tremendous opportunities, so it’s great to contribute in a way that helps others grow personally and professionally. Third, we appreciated the opportunity to make a personal connection with young professionals who could teach us as much as we could share with them. 　

So how’d that work out? Even better than we expected. The motivated, energetic, articulate, and community-oriented group of young professionals we were fortunate to be grouped with was a delight. Our initial small talk and formality quickly evolved into a real warmth and interest in each group member and his or her aspirations and goals – especially over a tasty Lebanese dinner Gloria hosted one evening.

We shared common struggles, decisions big and small, and life and career concerns. In the end, we hope our mentees benefited from some of the experiences, comments and ideas we shared. But we know for sure that we’ve gained from the exposure to these young professionals’ drive, dreams and commitment to “going for it.” If our mentees represent the kind of future leaders our community can expect, Wichita’s going to be in good hands. 　

This story was originally published August 6, 2017 at 5:10 AM with the headline "You’ll get more than you give."