Meet our mentors
"I’ve been blessed to have many mentors throughout my life, and it has helped me realise the significance of having a person with whom you can share your thought process. Mentor To Go is a way for me to help a young girl who is enthusiastic, hard-working, smart, and eager to learn new things! I believe in sharing my knowledge with my mentee so that she can go into a situation knowing what options she has and navigate life like a true star. I loved the whole experience of Mentor To Go app. Going through the sessions with my mentee has definitely made a positive impact on her life and made her aware of the true potential within her! I could see the change in her mindset after this programme."
“I could share my knowledge and expertise with young adults eager to learn and make a positive impact in the IT industry. Mentor Together made it easy to connect with mentees from diverse backgrounds, enabling me to offer guidance, fostering personal growth and professional development. It was inspiring to witness their enthusiasm and dedication. I left the session with a sense of fulfillment, knowing I had contributed to their journey of making a difference.”
"Since I grew up in a lower middle class family and come from a small village in West Bengal, access to resources was always a challenge, unlike those from larger cities. Even though my parents did everything they could do, I felt that during my teenage years I could have done so much more if I was given the right direction by a mentor, especially as relates to my career. This thought led me to get associated with Mentor To Go. Mentor To Go programs are very structured and filled with very relevant topics for students who are preparing to enter the job market. I think Mentor To Go is creating a strong impact towards making students industry ready, and I feel proud to play a small part towards this noble cause."
"As the mentor, my first challenge was to build a relationship with my mentee - we were both strangers to each other. Once we got over the hurdle of getting to know one another, I began to think of ways to increase her career exploration, and strengthen her presentation skills. Using the well-structured content available in the Mentor To Go app the program went seamlessly. I'm continuing to mentor new students, and I'm excited to build more connections through this program and build on everything I have learned so far. Thank you for providing this opportunity."
Meet the pairs
Janhvi comes from a background with strict parents, occasionally struggling to align their perspectives with her own, a common experience for someone her age. When Janhvi got her 12th-grade results, her family was dealing with her grandfather getting sick. She had good marks and thought about taking a break to study more. But someone told her during 11th and 12th that she shouldn’t do IIT JEE coaching until after 12th, so she listened to him and dropped the plan. Later, she regretted it, but getting IIT coaching was too expensive. So, she went to a lower-ranked college even though she knew she wouldn’t fit in well there. It was sad for her to see other students not caring about studying while she worked hard for her exams. She felt like studying was only about money, not effort. Her family had a hard time paying for her college fees, and her mother had to sell gold to help. Janhvi’s father didn’t take her studies seriously, so it was tough for her to get money for things like a laptop. Her family didn’t understand why she needed it, which hurt her feelings.
Janhvi discovered the Mentor Together program through her college’s online session, where a senior shared her positive experiences.
Intrigued by the prospect of receiving valuable guidance for free, Janhvi, feeling somewhat out of place in college, eagerly joined the program. Initially expecting a focus solely on technical aspects, her perspective shifted significantly as she progressed. Throughout her journey, Janhvi learned immensely. Initially struggling with formal communication, she sought guidance from her mentor, Paromita, on even the smallest matters like text messaging etiquette. Paromita’s encouragement motivated Janhvi to engage in college activities, leading to her selection as a technical subhead. Paromita provided valuable insights into subjects’ importance, time management, and achieving work-life balance.
Janhvi also learned the importance of celebrating victories, no matter how small, under Paromita’s guidance.
During a period of demotivation, Janhvi contemplated dropping out, but Paromita advised her to persevere, reassuring her that things would eventually fall into place. Paromita’s support extended to technical challenges, such as troubleshooting issues with Android Studio. Their discussions were open-ended, allowing both to share their experiences and address any doubts Janhvi had, including seeking advice on internship locations.
Their mentorship dynamic was marked by mutual respect and understanding, with Janhvi feeling comfortable discussing anything with Paromita, even reaching out via WhatsApp when they couldn’t meet in person. Janhvi’s questions were always treated with respect, and during modular sessions, Paromita would dissect Janhvi’s answers, guiding her towards better approaches. They collaborated on refining Janhvi’s resume and LinkedIn profile, and Paromita’s motivational support during internship preparation was invaluable, fostering a bond akin to that of an elder sister. In between she also started looking for scholarships and found the Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship, which she luckily got. Now, she feels better because she doesn’t have to ask for money anymore.
Janhvi’s career took a remarkable turn since enrolling in the program. Transitioning from a state of confusion and technological overwhelm, she ultimately landed an SDE Internship at Amazon, fueled by Paromita’s constant encouragement whenever motivation waned. Although the official mentorship concluded, they opted to stay connected, underscoring Janhvi’s appreciation for Paromita’s pivotal roles in guiding her path.
Anup Kulkarni He has served as a mentor with Mentor Together twice. He is currently employed as an Assistant vice president at Credit Suisse. His most recent experience as a mentor has been tremendously rewarding. He has guided two ambitious social work students Pallavi and Tejaswini, developing their personalities and helping them learn new skills by offering them advice and encouragement through the Mentorship program.
The fact that his mentees come from a variety of backgrounds and have distinct life stories and goals is one of the things he genuinely values. Their unwavering commitment to pursuing their careers and their drive to make a great effect in the world truly inspire him.
In the course of this mentorship, he shared that through their catch-ups they honed various essential skills, including effective communication, time management, resume building, interview preparation, and stress management. Anup discovered that guiding mentees through real-life situations was highly effective in enhancing their skills. Building resumes and preparing for interviews with his mentees were particularly memorable moments in this journey.
In Anup’s own words, he expresses, “Being a mentor isn’t just about sharing knowledge; it’s also about nurturing growth, forging connections, and empowering individuals who aspire to be change-makers.”
PallaviA graduate in MSW Community Development from Matru Sewa Sangh Social Work College in Nagpur, embarked on a transformative journey by participating in Mentor Together’s Placement Creation Mentorship Program for Social Work Students. Her primary goal was to acquire new skills and self-improvement.
Pallavi was paired with her mentor, Anup Kulkarni, whose guidance and support played a pivotal role in her development. She attributes her newfound skills and enhanced personality to the mentorship program. Under Anup’s guidance, she learned the art of crafting professional resumes and mastering the art of interview etiquette. Moreover, her communication and public speaking skills experienced remarkable growth, all thanks to the mentorship program.
Reflecting on her mentorship journey, Pallavi acknowledges that in the beginning, she was somewhat hesitant to voice her Placement Creation Mentorship Program, Pallavi secured a position as a Project Facilitator at Aroha NGO in Nagpur.
TejaswiniA recent MSW graduate from Matru Sewa Sangh Social Work College in Nagpur, with a specialization in Community Development, owes her current standing to Mentor Together’s Placement Mentorship Program. Her journey began with the eagerness to acquire new skills and set a strong foundation for her career. In the beginning, she was shy and nervous, but her interaction with her mentor and co mentee transformed her into a confident individual with enhanced problem-solving abilities.
The bond they all shared as a group was truly remarkable for her. Her mentor’s friendly nature and support, coupled with his persistent guidance until Tejaswini grasped every concept, made this mentorship experience a treasured memory for her.
Tejaswini’s mentorship journey was enriched with practical skills such as crafting an impressive CV and mastering the art of acing interviews. These invaluable lessons played a pivotal role in securing her current position as a Field Officer with the American India Foundation, where she has been making significant contributions for the past three months.
Tejaswini can now proudly affirm that her journey from a timid, aspiring graduate to a confident and capable professional was made possible through the transformative power of mentorship, and she remains grateful to the Mentor Together program for this incredible opportunity.
FAQs
Is Mentor Together a recognized organization?
Mentor Together is a registered not-for-profit organisation (No. 372/09-10). We are registered under Section 12AA and under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961. We have our CSR1 registration and file annual audited returns each year.
Mentor Together has also been covered in numerous local, national and international publications like India Today, CNBC, Times Now and the World Economic Forum. For the full press-coverage please check here.
How are the various projects of Mentor Together funded?
Mentor Together’s programs are largely funded by Corporate Social Responsibility partners. Our partners over the years have included the BT Group, LinkedIn, Amazon, Finastra, Cisco, Microsoft, Fidelity, Fiserv, the Edelgive Foundation, Amdocs, Cognizant, and the Rosy Blue Foundation.
Mentor to Go is a technology-enabled mentoring product and program that helps young people in the age group of 18 – 22, primarily from low-income families, access career mentorship across the country, using just their mobile phones or web-devices. As a technology product, Mentor To Go is an Android and Web app that is designed to allow a mentorship program to be fully remote – in the journey of a mentor and mentee, and in program administration. As a program, Mentor To Go is a national coalition of governments, individual educational institutions, non-profits, and Corporates, across India, that helps students experience digital career mentorship.
Why did we create Mentor To Go?
Mentoring relationships can provide guidance, support and inspiration to young people, especially when they are in stages of preparation or transition. For example, when they need to decide what to do after high school, or when they need to decide how to prepare for their careers. We wanted to build a scalable solution, through which a young person sitting anywhere can access high-quality mentorship. Mobile technology and internet access have spread widely enough, making this ubiquitous with young people. We believe that by putting mentorship on the phone we can scale the reach and impact of mentoring across the country.
A mentor will need to sign-up on our app, and create a basic profile that includes personal and career details. Once a mentor has created their profile they will have access to our Learning Hub to complete their mentor trianing modules. These modules will help mentors build the knowledge and skills they need to be successful in mentoring. On successful completion of the training modules, a Mentor To Go team member will schedule a 30 mins phone discussion to review the mentor’s application, and address any queries they may have. Post this, mentors get matched to mentees via our app’s matching algorithm, and they start mentoring.
Our mentees are undergraduate students studying mostly in the second or third year of their graduation degree. Our mentees are identified through government partnerships we have, for example with the Telangana Academy of Skills and Knowledge, Government of Telangana. Some of our partnerships are also with NGOs like the Lila Poonawalla Foundation. We host townhalls and webinars for students to learn about the program, and decide if they’d like to sign-up to get a mentor. We prioritise the mentorship program for students who come from low-income families having a family income of Rs 500,000 per annum or lesser.
The Mentor To Go app hosts our unique work readiness mentoring curricula. These structured sessions help mentor-mentee pairs build a strong relationship, and work on different aspects of personal development that relate to work readiness. Topics include understanding one’s personality and values, how to prepare for a job search, how to build and grow a career etc. Each session builds on evidence and practice from fields of mentoring, youth development, and. career psychology.
Is there any financial expense on the part of the mentor?
You will have to bear the costs of any phone calls you make, as well as any data you use while accessing the app. There are no other costs or fees to become a mentor.
Is there any support provided to me as a mentor?
Yes! The Mentor To Go programme team comprises of experienced programme managers and mentoring experts. Each mentor and mentee group receives a dedicated ‘Pair/Group Manager’, who will support your mentoring journey from day 1. You will have a dedicated channel to discuss all your questions with them. Additionally, they will review your progress and troubleshoot any problems you face.