The Mentee's Perspective

While this may not be my first experience as a mentee, being a

mentee for Sarah Curcio, the founder and owner of Sarah Social Strategy, has been especially rewarding and fulfilling. I am a recent graduate of Grand Valley State University’s Advertising and Public Relations program. Known for its experiential learning-based model and common “flipped classroom” teaching style, I consider myself privileged to have spent the last several semesters practicing the skills I learned through hands-on experiences, collaborative projects, and plenty of hard work.

When entering my internship with Women Into Networking, I was asked which areas of growth I wanted to focus on throughout my experience. I remember taking a moment to pause and think: for the first time since registering for my last classes, I once again had the independence to choose my next path.

Given a list of options filled with terms I was accustomed to but not necessarily familiar with, I combed through my choices, overwhelmed by the limited number of responses I was permitted to submit. I had a harsh realization: while my undergraduate education experience was coming to a close, the room to grow kept expanding.

Growing and Bending

While I was not naive enough to think my learning was done, I was quickly disheartened by

what felt like a “lack” of experience or knowledge on my part. After spending years in

classrooms where assignments came with rubrics, deadlines, and clear expectations, entering a

professional environment felt different. There was no syllabus telling me exactly what I needed

to know next.

That is where mentorship became especially meaningful.

Working with Sarah has given me the opportunity to learn through direct feedback, weekly

guidance, and conversations with someone who has experience navigating the same industry I

am now entering. Each week gives me a new opportunity to ask questions, reflect on where I

can improve, and talk through ideas without feeling like I need to have the perfect answer before

I speak.

The value of that feedback extends beyond the specific skills I am developing. It has helped me

become more confident in my ability to receive constructive criticism without viewing it as a

reflection of what I am doing wrong. Instead, I have learned to see feedback as an indication of

where I can continue growing.

Having consistent guidance has also made me more comfortable with uncertainty. There are

moments when I still question whether I am experienced enough, knowledgeable enough, or

prepared enough for what comes next. But mentorship has reminded me that being new to

something does not mean I am unqualified to learn it.

Finding That Grace

As a recent graduate, there can be an unspoken expectation to immediately know what you are

doing. You graduate, update your résumé, enter the workforce, and somehow become the

polished professional you imagined yourself becoming alongside your peers.

In reality, growth does not happen that quickly and rarely ever that neatly.

My weekly conversations with Sarah and the opportunity to learn alongside other WINterns

have given me a space to recognize that I am not the only person still figuring things out.

Hearing questions, ideas, and experiences from my peers has made professional growth feel

less like a competition and more like a shared experience. Direct feedback has shown me

where I can improve, while weekly guidance has helped me recognize the progress I might

otherwise overlook.

A Fresh Perspective

Mentorship has not given me all the answers, but I don’t think it should. Instead, it has given me

something much more valuable: the confidence to ask better questions, the perspective to

accept feedback, and the grace to recognize that becoming a professional is a process.

I am still growing. I am still bending. And for the first time, I am learning to see that as something

to be proud of.