Mentorship Is It's Own Reward
Mentorship Is It's Own Reward
Mentorship is it's own reward. I live to make the lives of others better and in so doing, I improve mine through service. I really do want to be a positive force for meaningful change in the world.
I recently had the opportunity to mentor a fine young artist in the Metro Early College High School and PAST innovation Lab Growth pathway program. Audrey Heyrosa is her name, and she is a very charming and talented designer. I served as her mentor for her capstone program.
Audrey chose as her capstone problem how to convey complex data as infographics that were not dependent of key language but conveyed complex data as numbers and iconography. She is very talented at that. As a 16 year old, she is very good at seeing through data to find truth.
A Two Way Mentorship
She completed her capstone and she was terrific! The truth of the matter is, she mentored me just as much I served as her mentor. She taught me to be calm and patient and to not assume teens were just unformed adults, but people who are discovering and questioning.
I really appreciated Audrey. So much so that I insisted she apply to work with the PAST Foundation over the summer. She is currently employed by PAST part-time taking photos of the programs being run at PAST innovation Lab.
A Kind Gesture
Of course she is doing a great job and I am very proud of her. This morning she came to me with this lovely gift; an original piece of artwork that serves to both thank me and honor me. I was really caught off guard.
Thank you, Audrey; You made me better too.
Jim Bruner
I absolutely love it. It is so very Audrey and it is so very me - as Audrey sees me. It is how I see me too.
One day Audrey is going to follow her dream and become an illustrator for children's books. She is definitely a fun and unique talent. I am so proud to be her mentor and a muse for her lovely story-telling skills.
If you need a fun and lighthearted illustrator, one who is a master at displaying diversity and charm, please consider hiring her. I'll link to her website below. Here also are a few of the examples of the artwork Audrey did for the PAST Foundation in her internship. Thank you, Audrey; you made me better too.