How Mentorship Can Be Life-Changing for People Living With HIV
"By having HIV and living with it for so long, I [am] able to support, encourage, and inspire somebody else."
An Artist Whose Mentors Are Scientists
Dianna Cohen, a visual artist and environmentalist, aims to raise awareness about pollution in the world's oceans.
The Odyssey’s Millennia-Old Model of Mentorship
According to the classicist Gregory Nagy, Homer’s epic provides an early example of enlightened guidance that’s still relevant thousands of years later.
From Girl Scout to Girl Scouts' CEO
Anna Maria Chávez, the former leader of an organization she loved as a child, on the mentors who shaped her career
The Friendship That Helped Create 'Vagina Dispatches'
The filmmaker Mae Ryan and the data journalist Mona Chalabi say that their willingness to push and support each other was the key to creating their Emmy-nominated documentary.
The Quiet Mentor
The late Nashville Scene editor Jim Ridley made everyone around him better, and took little credit for himself.
What Studying Conflict Resolution Teaches About Personal Relationships
Donna Hicks, a scholar at Harvard, says the lessons from her research on violence apply to interactions with family, friends, and mentees.
The Mascot All the Other Mascots Look Up To
For almost 30 years, Dan Meers has built a professional community founded on radical kindness as Kansas City’s KC Wolf.
Warby Parker's Co-Founder on Starting a Company From Scratch
Dave Gilboa says it’s important to find a mentor “who can tell you when you are being delusional.”
How Peer Mentorship Can Change Police Departments’ Cultures
The criminologist Geoffrey Alpert says that it’s not just the substance of constructive criticism that matters—it’s also whom that criticism comes from.
Soledad O’Brien on the Power of Showing Up
The former broadcaster compares mentorship to a good gym habit—it’s not just about working out today, but every day for years.
'They All Have a Common Goal of Making Beauty'
To the ragtag groups of volunteers that help him create his artwork, the sculptor Patrick Dougherty is a boss, a mentor, and a humble peer.
The Importance of Women Mentoring Other Women
Elizabeth Lund, a vice president at Boeing, reflects on the lessons she's learned and passed on during her career as an aeronautical engineer.
Mentoring With a Time Horizon of Seven Generations
Jodi Gillette, formerly an adviser for Native American affairs under President Obama, on how her worldview is built into her career.
Building Mentorship Out of Trauma
The haunting things Bob Lang once saw as a firefighter have influenced the advice he now gives to young colleagues in his work as a lawyer.
What Mentorship Can Mean to Undocumented Immigrants
Yosimar Reyes, a poet and artist, reflects on the guidance the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas has given him.
'The Black Writing Community Is Very Small'
The writer Ashley C. Ford and her mentor, Roxane Gay, discuss the professional advice they’ve gotten and how to cope with criticism.
The David Carr Generation
More than a dozen mentees of the late journalist remember the lessons he imparted.
The Dark Side of Networking
“If one person gets a leg up, that’s a leg down for whomever else is competing for those opportunities.”
Mentorship Without Hierarchy
The economists Darrick Hamilton and Sandy Darity met as student and adviser. Now, they see themselves as equals.
What a Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Learned From Condoleezza Rice
Michael McFaul, who served under President Obama, on being a diplomat in an often hostile environment
Mentorship Cut Short by Suicide
The Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig discusses how Aaron Swartz's death shaped his own life's work.
When It’s Hard for Women to Find Male Mentors
If men are overly concerned with the appearance of impropriety, the careers of female subordinates suffer.
Coaching Players for Life
University of Michigan's John Beilein reflects on 40 years of mentoring young athletes.
‘We Have 14 Black Deaf Americans With Ph.D.s—14’
A conversation with a deaf-studies professor and a student she’s been supporting throughout his academic career
When Success Means Leaving Your Mentor
The chef Jeremiah Langhorne learned from one of his idols—and then decided to move on.
How to Mentor From Miles Away
Dispensing with the usual meetups over coffee, two biomedical engineers created a platform to more easily connect young people with professional guidance.
Ted Cruz's Thesis Adviser on How He's Changed Since College
The senator and his mentor look back on the 25-plus years since they met at Princeton.
When Mentorship Goes Off Track
A psychology professor at the U.S. Naval Academy on why professional guidance doesn’t always work out as planned
What It Takes to Mentor Poor Kids
“I know that everything is stacked against my scholars,” says Nadia Lopez, a principal featured in Humans of New York.
A Developer at Slack on the Importance of Diversity in Tech
Kaya Thomas, a 21-year-old coder and advocate, has been vocal about the industry’s homogeneity.
Cars 3: A Children’s Movie, and a Fable About Mentorship
The animated feature is a surprisingly thoughtful meditation on what professional achievement requires in the 21st century.
What Melissa Harris-Perry Learned From Maya Angelou About Mentorship
The politics professor and former TV-show host talks about creating a dynamic that combines empathy, vulnerability, and fun.
How Mentorship Looks Different in the Sciences
A conversation with two immunologists about the “little digressions” that shape their research and careers
When Potential Mentors Are Mostly White and Male
Unconscious bias can influence who leaders choose as their protégés. Can its effects be mitigated?
How Princeton Is Trying to Get More Women to Be Student Leaders
A committee the university formed had one main recommendation: more mentorship.
What One Entrepreneur Learned From Hillary Clinton
Reshma Saujani is passing on the guidance she received while helping girls break into a male-dominated field.
Building a Fair-Trade Fashion Line Out of ‘Pride, Not Pity’
Harper Poe, a South Carolina-based designer, on the dangers of using another person's story to sell a dress or a handbag
When Men Hold Top Positions, How Much Can Mentorship Help Women?
The career of one female national-security professional offers some insight.
Finding Mentorship Outside of Your Industry
Stacey Abrams has made a career for herself in politics, but that’s not where she looks for guidance.
Yoga Teachers, Mentors, Business Partners
The co-owners of a studio in Washington, D.C., reflect on how their dynamic has evolved over the years.
Becoming the Mentor You Wish You'd Had
As the first openly trans man to compete for the U.S. national team, Chris Mosier is trying to provide support to up-and-coming LGBTQ athletes.
How the 'Tiger Mom' Convinced the Author of Hillbilly Elegy to Write His Story
When J.D. Vance was in law school, his mentor, Amy Chua, gave him the confidence to take a different path.
Acclimating to a New Country When Your Home Is a War Zone
When Aya Aljamili came to the U.S., her long-distance mentor played a crucial role in helping her navigate daily life.
Why Can't Companies Get Mentorship Programs Right?
And when they get them wrong, it can be worse than having not tried at all.
Mentorship That Goes Beyond Career Advice
Two rabbis in Washington, D.C., say that, for them, the relationship is about finding someone who knows and challenges you.
The Tough-Love Approach to Career Guidance
“You don’t want someone that will tell you exactly what to do. That’s not the point of a mentor.”
This Is What 20 Years of Mentorship Looks Like
Two women share a name, a hometown, and a devotion to the law.
How Women Mentors Make a Difference in Engineering
They act as a “social vaccine” that protects female students against negative stereotypes and gives them a sense of belonging.
'I Had Never Been Any Place Where Black Women Were Running Things'
Lauren Williams, the features editor at Essence, on the importance of mentorship in an industry short on diversity
How Pence's Dudely Dinners Hurt Women
The vice president—and other powerful men—regularly avoid one-on-one meetings with women in the name of protecting their families. In the end, what suffers is women’s progress.
The Perks—and Limits—of Having a Superstar Mentor
Knowing the right people certainly has benefits, but how long do they last?
How Mentorship Is Helping More Latino Men Earn College Degrees
There’s no one right approach, but they all start with reaching boys early.