At the online launch event of our new Bai Xian Peer Mentoring Program in January 2022, Ms. Laura Cozijnsen, member of BXAI’s Communication & Development Committee and founder of Lighthouse Consultant Limited, spoke to our scholars and alumni on the topic, “Why does mentoring matter?”.
Having benefited from being both a mentee and a mentor, Laura emphasized that mentorship is not so much about one-way teaching, but is in fact a relationship. Mentors who are invested in the wellbeing and interests of their mentees engage in a process of helping them discover the best version of themselves, whether through the sharing of skills, values, or life experiences. Meanwhile, mentees can also offer mentors a rewarding mentorship experience that is fulfilling and purposeful. “Whether you are a mentee or mentor, it’s really a win-win situation,” said Laura.
Recalling a time when she offered help to a mentee, not knowing (until much later) that her support would make a great impact on him, Laura encouraged aspiring mentors to see mentorship as an opportunity to make a difference in someone else’s life.
“When my mentee asked me why I had helped him, I answered him at the time, ‘There’s no reason why, but when you have the power or opportunity, pay it forward and help someone in your position,’ and he still remembers what I said today!”
Laura’s Book Recommendation: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Tuesdays with Morrie is a memoir that chronicles author Mitch Albom’s visits with his former college professor, Morrie Schwartz, during the professor’s last months of life. Their 14 conversations revolve around lessons in how to live and love, and according to Laura, reflect “one of the most beautiful mentor-mentee relationships I’ve come across.”
Towards the end of the online event, Laura quoted from Tuesdays with Morrie: “The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in,” encouraging participants to not only focus on what they can give, but to also learn to receive love and support within a mentor-mentee relationship.