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Mentorship Program at NCGI
…. vignettes from
a mentoring partnership
by Mary Beth Burns, Ed.D
Hiya! I'm Emily, and I just received a letter from NCGI's mentoring
director, the one I submitted my paperwork to several weeks ago.
All right, I’ve been assigned a mentor! The letter describes
guidelines and makes some suggestions about how I can best benefit
from working with a mentor. It gives my mentor's name, Sara Sullivan,
but nothing else.
Hmmm.... My creative and prone to free flight of ideas brain begins
to construct a mental picture of what my mentor might look and sound
like. I wonder.... how old is she? Will she have children, as I
do? I sure hope so, because having AD/HD myself while parenting
an AD/HD child is often my biggest challenge and a source of great
angst. I just want someone to talk to; someone who will understand
the day-to-day struggle of managing life with AD/HD.
Anyway, how do they expect me to wait patiently to hear from Sara?
Don't they realize that ADDers aren’t necessarily good at
playing the waiting game? Oh well, at least I know I have a mentor
now. I think I'll go distract myself with a piece of chocolate cake.
Hi! My name is Sara Sullivan, and I am an NCGI mentor. I signed
up to act as a mentor to other women with AD/HD because I remember
how overwhelmed I felt when I was first trying to figure out life
with AD/HD, and how helpful it was to connect with other women who
were willing to share their ideas and to provide words of hope and
encouragement. Now that I feel I'm in control of my life (most of
the time) I want to help other women with AD/HD.
 I
just received the paperwork for a new mentee. Her name is Emily
Lake. She is just a few years younger than I, yet she has a daughter
the same age as mine. It appears that although we live thousands
of miles away from each other, we have many interests and challenges
in common. It looks like this mentoring opportunity will yield another
positive experience for me.
I think I'll get a glass of water and go into the den to write
Emily an E-mail of introduction. I have found that it's very important
to share my own personal story of life with AD/HD when I first contact
a new mentee. It sets the stage, in a sense, by letting her know,
I've been where she is now and there is life after diagnosis with
AD/HD.
Mary Beth Burns, Ed.D., serves on NCGI’s Board of Directors;
she is co-founder of the Mentorship Program. In upcoming issue of
ADDvance, Board members will all be profiled, and you will learn
more about Mary Beth from that profile.
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