OUR MISSIONcreate access & opportunities for underprivileged girls in STEM through mentoring

OUR VISIONdevelop & empower women leaders in STEM to make a sustainable impact in their communities and inspire the next generation of young women

MENTOR INFORMATION PACKETour story | benefits |expectations | partnership | selection process | apply

OUR STORYMy parents came to America in the late 1980’s

as refugees from Vietnam. Like most immigrant

families, my they worked hard to provide for my

brother and I, but with the language barrier and

cultural differences, they did not fully

understand the education system in America. I

knew the only way I was going to succeed was

through higher education and it was up to me on

how far I could go. My journey to where I am

now was tough but luckily, I had a lot of help

along the way. Particularly, my high school

accounting teacher, Mr. David Niendorf,

believed in me and saw my potential before I

could see it myself. He became my mentor and

guided me through the complexities for

obtaining higher education.

When I was a freshman, Foster High School

offered an award known as the Achiever’s

Scholarship, which was given to students in

Washington State who achieved academic

excellence but also needed financial assistance

for college. I studied relentlessly and tried to

excel in all my classes in hopes of winning the

award. However, midway through the school

year, the City of Tukwila laid out plans to build a

new route for the Light Rail which went right

through my parent’s house. With no other

options, our family moved to Tacoma, and I

enrolled at Stadium High School to finish out the

rest of my high school years. Unlike Foster, the

Achiever’s Scholarship was not offered at

Stadium. Although I was disappointed, it just

meant that I needed to figure creative ways to

pay for college. One avenue was through the

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

program.

In the Asian culture, sharing salary information is

considered taboo. Although my family qualified

for financial aid, I was unable to provide the

salary information needed to complete the

FAFSA. This meant it was more important than

ever to find alternative ways to find financial aid.

I researched and applied for as many

scholarships as possible. With Mr. Neindorf’s

help and many letters of recommendations, I

was offered enough scholarship money for my

first year of college. However, that wasn’t

enough. In order to fund the rest of my

undergraduate degree, I worked at companies

such as KFC and Bank of America, which offered

financial assistance programs to eligible

employees.

Ever since I could remember, I’ve always bled

purple & gold. The University of Washington was

not just the school in our backyard, it was my

dream school. I wanted to stay close to home

and my roots, and this was where I wanted to

be. With hard work and many sleepless nights, I

received a letter of acceptance to UW, and I

officially became a Husky!

During my first year at UW, I really sought out to

discover who I am and the career path I wanted

to follow. Navigating through the system was

challenging and I knew nothing about things like

internships, career fairs, or even the amazing

opportunities to learn about other cultures while

studying abroad.

These concepts were completely foreign to me

and at times I felt like a small fish in a big ocean.

Fortunately, in speaking with one of my

professors, he gave me the tools and guidance

on how to apply for an IT internship at

Weyerhaeuser, which was and still is one of the

largest wood product companies in the world.

OUR STORY (CONTINUED)As an IT intern at Weyerhaeuser, I was paired

up with a mentor named Joseph Peck. As my

mentor, Joseph saw my hunger to learn and

gave me opportunities that were challenging

yet manageable. He offered me career

guidance, support, and realized that I

possessed capabilities and untapped potential

far beyond my own understanding. He gave

me the autonomy to grow individually at such

an early stage in my career and became a

trusted confidant and career coach long after

most mentor / mentee relationships dissolved.

Joseph still remains a beacon in my life and is

one of the reasons why I want to continue to

expand my knowledge and experience in

technology.

My first job after graduating from UW was at

The Boeing Company. During my five years at

Boeing, I had six key mentors who afforded

me with great guidance which led to countless

opportunities and visibility. While at Boeing, I

returned to UW to pursue my Master of

Science degree in Information Systems. Upon

graduation, in 2013, Joseph Peck, my mentor

from Weyerhaeuser, reached out to me about

a new job opportunity with the

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in technology

consulting.

Without my mentor and the opportunity that

he has paved for me, I would not be here

today working as a Global Technology Program

and Product Manager. This position has been

and continues to be rewarding. It has helped

me grow in so many ways allowing me to

travel the world, collaborate, and build

relationships with people in various countries

such as India, Sweden, the U.K., Romania,

Czech Republic, China, France, Switzerland,

Germany, New Zealand, Australia, and South

Africa.

From my experience of being in this industry,

the one thing that has really stuck out to me is

that often times I am the only female at the

table. This led me to research overall female

representation within the STEM field and what

I’ve discovered is that women are grossly

underrepresented in key leadership and

managerial positions within the industry.

While I continue pursuing my career

development, one of the things that has

remained steadfast in my life are the amazing

mentors I’ve had along the way and through

this, Thriving Elements was born. My dream is

to create a program that replicates the quality

mentoring I received in my life and scale it to

as many underprivileged young women as

possible around the world. Sometimes it takes

just that one moment or that one person to

help someone see what they are capable of

and go beyond their potential.

Janet PhanFounder

&

Executive Director

Give back to your industry –Mentoring is an opportunity to help young professionals expand their education, develop their skill set and become better at their jobs. Not only does it help your industry (and perhaps your organization, should you mentor someone within it), but it can also make you feel good by helping someone else.

Learn new things –Mentor relationships are a great way to develop and improve the professional and personal lives of both parties. Every generation has their strengths and topics that they are experts in. For example, if you’re a [Generation X], perhaps taking on a [Millennials] mentee can help you to learn more about certain aspects of technology or social media.

Develop leadership and management skills –Becoming a mentor can help you tap into your leadership abilities. Learn how to oversee, guide and manage others, especially younger employees.

Build additional professional relationships –Although you probably have a variety of professional connections at this stage in your career, you will form a relationship with your mentee that is much deeper than with other acquaintances. In turn, not only can you help your mentee add new people to their network, but they can do the same for you.

BENEFITS OF BEING A MENTOR

THRIVING ELEMENTSMENTORING PROGRAMOne of the many areas we pride ourselves on is ensuring there’squality in everything we do. Our mission is to create access andopportunities for underprivileged girls in STEM and it is our hope that we can foster a sustainable and structured mentoring program that will bring our vision to life. Ultimately, our vision is to develop and empower women leaders in STEM to make a sustainable impact on their communities and inspire thenext generation of young women. We would love for you play a part in it.

AS A MENTOR, YOU ARE EXPECTED TO:Maintain regular contact with your mentee and develop a relationship

Set up expectations for how and when you’ll contact each other Meet with your mentee for a minimum of 1 hour each month during the first year of

mentorship Meeting may occur in person, in a public setting or via video conferencing Respond in a timely manner Maintain mentor relationship from high-school through college*

Guide your mentee through Thriving Elements mentoring curriculum which includes but is not limited to:

Introduction to Thriving Elements Quality Traits of Leaders Leaders Giving Back to the Community Importance of Goal Setting & Planning Part I Importance of Goal Setting & Planning Part II Importance of Taking Risks, Failures & Perseverance Social Media Awareness Why Women Matter in STEM

Ultimately, Be passionate about elevating young girls in STEM Be open minded, professional, and respectful Be a trusteed advisor to your mentee

MENTOR EXPECTATIONS AND QUALIFICATIONS

*Thriving Elements’ goal is to create a sustainable and structured mentoring relationship taking into consideration work / life balance

AS A MENTOR, YOU ARE NOT EXPECTED TO: To know the answers to all of your mentee’s

questions (you’ll have a network of mentors to help).

Offer a job or an internship to your mentee

TO QUALIFY AS A MENTOR: Have a STEM undergraduate degree

(preferred) or STEM related experience (2+ years)

Mentor experience preferred but not required

Complete the application and undergo the interview process

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FOSTER HIGH SCHOOL

THE ROLE OF THRIVING ELEMENTS

STEM jobs are growing 1.7 timesfaster than non-STEM careers...

BUT only 16% of high school seniorsare pursuing STEM career

Get girls interested with mentoring

Through our mentorship program you can

Build women leaders Engage girls in STEM

Reduce gender inequality in STEM

By April 23

Thriving Elements mentor application deadline

End of April

Applications will be reviewed by Thriving Elements

Early May

Notification of mentor selection

Early-Mid May

In-person interviews held (30-45 minutes)

Late May/EarlyJune

Final selection of mentors will be announced

August/September

Mentor Trainingand Speed Networking Event

Late August

Mentor / Mentee match announced

Mid September

Introduction to ThrivingElements with FHS staff, mentors, mentees, and mentees’ parents/guardian

MENTOR SELECTION PROCESS

NEXT STEP

Complete and submit your applicationby April 23, 2017

Join our team of passionate mentors!