Creative, Confident, Cutting Edge
Credit: Shellee Fisher Photography & DesignWhen I was in my twenty’s and thirties I purposely sought out mentors who I believed could add value to my life. I wanted to learn from people who had proven experience as leaders, and from those who would be genuinely interested in pouring into my life in order for me to grow and become a well-rounded individual. As an African-American woman who grew up in the city and within a majority black community, I had always desired to engage with a strong female mentor who could appreciate and embrace my rich cultural history, my experiences, my dreams, and my potential. It was important to me to find someone who was capable of helping me develop into a more confident woman without insensitively dismissing or stripping away all that I am. I felt a great need to engage and to be engaged cross-culturally. The challenge, however, seemed greater than I anticipated. Now, many years later, I have come to understand that healthy and effectual cross-cultural mentoring demands that the mentor be able to accept the challenge of diversity by acknowledging holistically that mentees may be working from different cultural frameworks than their own. Read More
