On the idea of mentorship
I remember when I first heard from QBAC [about the mentorship program], I was really excited about it because the Black community at Queen's is a very small one. And the thought that I could connect with a young grad or someone who was soon to be graduating was really meaningful to me. Because I hoped that I could help, that I could support them in some way. The idea of bringing together a very small group of people from different years was really inspiring. And for me, that sense of being able to reach that hand back because it has been reached to me was something that really appealed to me. So, I am so grateful that the Black Alumni Chapter brought us together.
Aaliyah-Mae: When I found out that I was matched with you, I saw that you were a teacher and a vice-principal and not really in my field of interest. So I have to say that I was a little hesitant! I didn카지노 게임 컬렉션t really see, at first, what I would be able to get out of this match.
Rosalie: Well, it카지노 게임 컬렉션s interesting because I didn카지노 게임 컬렉션t really have any expectations. I카지노 게임 컬렉션ve had the opportunity to mentor in different ways in the past, and I really wanted it to be about whatever that person wanted. So, I was really open. It카지노 게임 컬렉션s interesting, though, because we shared that initial concern about the program match. I mean, I love psychology, and I took Introductory Psychology, but I thought initially that they were going to match us by program because I know my world very well. And so I was worried that I wouldn카지노 게임 컬렉션t be able to provide the type of support that you might need. I wanted to make sure that I was going to be really useful to you, because while my field was dovetailing the one that you were going into, was not directly in the same line.
On first impressions
Rosalie: When we look back at our first meeting, I said to you that it was like a blind date.
Aaliyah-Mae: We met for dinner at a restaurant that I chose. You wanted to make sure I was comfortable so you let me choose where we would go. So, going in, I expected something very professional. I thought I카지노 게임 컬렉션d be meeting with someone whom I could go to with questions like, 카지노 게임 컬렉션Does my resumé look good?카지노 게임 컬렉션 or 카지노 게임 컬렉션I카지노 게임 컬렉션m having this problem at work카지노 게임 컬렉션카지노 게임 컬렉션 Well, I did get that. I can ask you those questions, but I also met someone I can turn to in all areas of my life.
That first meeting, I was worried that I wouldn카지노 게임 컬렉션t have too much to say or that you would think I was just not that interested or not really taking full advantage of this opportunity that we were given. You카지노 게임 컬렉션re a talker 카지노 게임 컬렉션
Rosalie: I am! [laughing]
Aaliyah-Mae: And you talked a lot, and that made me feel comfortable. I didn카지노 게임 컬렉션t feel like I had to fill in the silence. But then you also gave me the space to talk when I felt like I had something I could contribute. And you카지노 게임 컬렉션re very easy to talk to.
Rosalie: I wanted you to feel like I was going to be someone that could be useful to you in any kind of way. Sometimes we forget that different relationships can have a power differential. You know, I카지노 게임 컬렉션m a little bit older 카지노 게임 컬렉션 and maybe wiser, but we don카지노 게임 컬렉션t know about that! So, I really felt like you needed to be able to make those choices, like where we were to meet for dinner. If you were comfortable, I was going to be comfortable.
-
Eric Forget
On shared experiences
Aaliyah-Mae: So, let카지노 게임 컬렉션s talk about our shared experiences at Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s. I guess everyone who goes to Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s has shared experiences to some extent. But because we카지노 게임 컬렉션re both Black women who went to Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s, a school that is predominantly white, our experiences are more similar than say, mine with someone else in my program. For me, especially in my first and second year, I didn카지노 게임 컬렉션t feel comfortable at Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s. I didn카지노 게임 컬렉션t have a great time living in residence, I didn카지노 게임 컬렉션t really connect with people around me. And I didn카지노 게임 컬렉션t feel like the school was really for me. And I think that it카지노 게임 컬렉션s really important to put that out there because there may be other people who experienced the same disconnection. It is disheartening to think, 카지노 게임 컬렉션Oh, is it just me who had a negative experience?카지노 게임 컬렉션
Rosalie: It really is a shared experience to be a racialized Black woman at Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s, or in any space. I was so saddened because I heard about your negative experiences. Sometimes I think about perspective being relative. I was the only Black person in my residence in my first year. There were three of us who would identify as Black in my program, which was one of the specialized programs at Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s. But I was coming from a place that had less diversity than Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s, from a small town in Southern Ontario. In elementary school, I was the only Black child from kindergarten to grade eight. I don카지노 게임 컬렉션t know if I카지노 게임 컬렉션ve ever shared this, but when I got to Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s, I remember looking around and saying, 카지노 게임 컬렉션Wow, look at the diversity.카지노 게임 컬렉션
But I certainly understand your story. I think it카지노 게임 컬렉션s really important for us to be open to the fact that different types of experiences can happen in the same space, and it doesn카지노 게임 컬렉션t discount or invalidate any of them. You know, those who카지노 게임 컬렉션ve had a negative experience because of being racialized, that카지노 게임 컬렉션s valid, and those who had a positive experience while being racialized, it카지노 게임 컬렉션s valid, but that was definitely something that was different in the experience that we had.
But you know, one thing that카지노 게임 컬렉션s interesting was our shared experience with the community outside of Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s. I had mentioned to you that I knew someone, as a student, whom I called my Kingston mom. She was from Haiti. And she used to do my hair. And you know for Black women, hair is a very serious issue! So just having someone who could do my hair meant the world to me. And she was also someone who shared my faith, so we attended the same congregation. And I think you had a similar experience.
Aaliyah-Mae: For sure. I found a church community in Kingston outside of campus. So, I had this community outside of school. And I made some great friends there, some of whom also went to Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s. I think this just shows again the importance of programs like the QBAC mentorship program. It카지노 게임 컬렉션s all about bringing people with similar experiences together. I also wanted to talk about our shared experiences following the end of the formal mentorship program. So obviously, everyone right now is experiencing life in a pandemic. And we are all being affected differently by it. You and I have talked about how important it is during this time to have someone who is there for you and supporting you, so that you don카지노 게임 컬렉션t feel you카지노 게임 컬렉션re alone. And we카지노 게임 컬렉션ve also talked about all the other negative things that have been going on in the world surrounding race and racial inequality, and everything that stemmed from events like the murder of George Floyd. So having a mentor who has been experiencing these events with me, and in a similar way, makes me feel like I have an enriched support system. You understand me on multiple levels.
Rosalie: When I was reaching out to family and friends in various parts of the world, one of those people now in my inner circle is you. So I wanted to make sure you were okay.
On advice for each other
Rosalie: The advice that I have for you is to just be yourself and just trust who you are. Everybody engages in things differently. And that카지노 게임 컬렉션s wonderful. I카지노 게임 컬렉션ve always tried to surround myself both with people that I share things with and people who are different than me. I find that so enriching, it makes me look at things differently. You and I have a lot in common and some things not in common.
Aaliyah-Mae: Yes, I카지노 게임 컬렉션ve always found myself to be drawn to people who are kind of the opposite to me, very outgoing, very talkative, because I카지노 게임 컬렉션m quieter. I always thought I could have a career in therapy, because I카지노 게임 컬렉션m a good listener. I prefer listening over talking. So, that카지노 게임 컬렉션s one of the reasons why I think this relationship works, because I give you space to speak, and you give me space to listen. I think my advice for you is the same. Just continue being you. I find that you카지노 게임 컬렉션re so loving and charismatic and passionate. You카지노 게임 컬렉션re a leader. I can only imagine how many lives you카지노 게임 컬렉션ve positively affected just by being you. I카지노 게임 컬렉션ve found myself wishing that I could be a student in one of your schools because I feel like you카지노 게임 컬렉션re the type of person to just go out of your way to ensure that everyone around you knows that they카지노 게임 컬렉션re loved and appreciated. And I just think you카지노 게임 컬렉션re a really good role model.
Rosalie: You know, the Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s Black Alumni Chapter created this great mentorship program, and we both signed up, wanting to honour what that program can be. But what has happened, as clichéd as it may sound, is that we have a beautiful friendship. So we카지노 게임 컬렉션re not mentor/mentee anymore. We카지노 게임 컬렉션re just really good friends. And I hope that you know, as I would for any friend, I will continue to provide support and guidance in any way that I can. So while our mentorship meetings have officially ended, the friendship has no expiration date 카지노 게임 컬렉션 ever.
The 2020 Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s Black Alumni Chapter mentorship program matched 12 mentors with 14 mentees. Learn more about QBAC and find out how you can become a mentor.
