Mirroring the ethos of the Boston University School of Public Health itself, the Emerging Women Leaders (EWL) program is rooted in evidence. Research consistently shows that mentorship plays a transformative role in advancing women’s success across academia and industry. A quick Google search turns up a multitude of studies linking mentorship to faster promotions, higher retention, and increased confidence. Those statistics resonate with me. And yet, EWL marks the first time I’ve participated in a formal mentorship program.
My first mentor wasn’t academic or professional. She was my childhood dance teacher, Miss Sherri. You wouldn’t guess it from my current vocation, but I used to love dancing. What I lacked in natural talent, I made up for in enthusiasm – and Miss Sherri noticed. She taught me how discipline builds excellence and, perhaps more importantly, how to lose gracefully.
Since then, women have shaped every chapter of my life. I wouldn’t be committed to public health without my high school English teacher, Lisa, who encouraged me to chase what is true over what is certain. I wouldn’t have landed my first job without my advisor, MC, who helped transform my propensity for small talk into more focused, professional conversations. And I certainly wouldn’t be in this program without the manager at IBM, Kaitlyn, who pushed me away from planning office parties and toward leading business development initiatives.
Miss Sherri will likely never meet Joan Bragar, my mentor in EWL. My high school English teacher probably will never know my former boss. But when I walk into any room, I carry them all with me. These women form a daisy chain—intelligent, honest, and deeply generous people – each one linked to the next through experiences they shaped and the opportunities they helped me step into.
To put it bluntly, the first year of a doctoral program was hard. Personally, and professionally, it’s been one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. And if you find yourself in a similar place – I’ll offer this: don’t go it alone.
Find your own daisy chain. Reach forward, reach back. Whether it’s a formal program like EWL or an unexpected conversation over coffee, mentorship builds something bigger than any one of us. You never know who might be adding your name to their chain next.
