Christine Chung is Program Coordinator for the Lucy Mentoring Program in the Faculty of Business and Economics. Here she talks of the transformative benefits of the program, and her satisfaction in seeing its participants succeed.

The Lucy Mentoring Program is offered to female undergraduate students in the Faculty of Business and Economics, and provides them with the opportunity to engage with industry professionals from the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.

The students have one-on-one access with an industry mentor, getting to know them professionally and personally and giving them the chance to work through some of their goals together.

Two former Lucy mentees, Jacqueline and Julie Gerodias share a common thread. As sisters, they attended the same high school and are studying the same degree (Bachelor of Arts with Bachelor of Commerce).

They both participated in the Lucy Mentoring Program and have since secured full-time employment and a paid internship at their respective mentors’ organisations.

Jacqueline is majoring in Human Resources and Commercial Law and was paired with a senior HR manager at a well-known Australian airline. At their first coffee meeting, Jacqueline was pleasantly surprised when her mentor listened attentively and wanted to hear about her life, both inside and outside university. Their mentoring catch ups consisted of shadowing her mentor in her work environment, attending a weekly meeting, observing workplace culture and etiquette and interviewing her mentor’s colleagues.

The program has given Jacqueline the opportunity to meet with successful and motivated people, including her mentor. By being open to new perspectives she has gained a greater outlook on corporate life as well as an understanding of what she wants from her career and how she can best achieve this.

Her sister Julie is majoring in Marketing, International Communications and Human Resources. Her first meeting with her mentor, an HR Director at a multinational software corporation, was held at a local coffee shop. Prior to the meeting, she had prepared a list of her goals and potential questions in case there were awkward silences with her mentor. But the meeting was relaxed and they were able to find out about each other’s backgrounds and discuss goals. During the program, Julie received feedback on her résumé and discussed with her mentor her struggles in deciding whether to focus on finding a job or search for internships. While interning, Julie was able to sit near and speak with her mentor’s HR team, giving her a better understanding of what a career in HR would look like. A challenge for Julie was networking in the office. Learning to do ‘small talk’ with people within her team and in other departments seemed difficult at times but was a learning experience for her.

The Lucy Mentoring program is one example of how the University supports students in helping them achieve their aspirations and provides an incubator for the next generation of leaders.

As someone who connects the dots and matches students with industry mentors, I find it immensely satisfying seeing students like Jacqueline and Julie succeed.

If you are interested in finding out more about Lucy Mentoring, please contact me on christine.chung@mq.edu.au or phone 9850 4755.

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