At Femme Palette, we want to support women and other underrepresented group members in growing their careers and achieving their professional goals. It’s for this reason that we started our scholarship fund to provide financial support to selected participants in our Mentoring program. Mentees Nicole Martincova, Magdalena Morong, and Natalia Bondar are all scholarship recipients who decided to work on their professional development with their personal mentors. We asked them to tell us more about their goals and ambitions, as well as how they’ve benefited from mentoring so far.
Nicole: I signed up for the mentoring program because I wanted to grow professionally as well as personally and believed having a mentor would help me navigate my career with increased focus and ambition. And I'm so glad I did so, because Femme Palette matched me with a perfect mentor, Olga, who has helped me enormously.
Magdalena: After a year of learning how to code on my own, I found myself stuck. I had a clear vision of what I wanted to achieve, but I got so wrapped up in it and I could not make any progress. Being a mother to a toddler who was constantly sent home from kindergarten because of possible COVID symptoms undermined my planning and left me lost and desperate.
Natalia: I decided to get a mentor because I wanted ongoing long-term support from one of the more experienced professionals from my field (Learning & Development). I want to fight procrastination and insecurity by taking actions towards my desired career.
Nicole: Thanks to our mentoring sessions, I have gained confidence, found clarity in what I really want in my professional life and developed a plan on how to achieve my goals and further improve. My mentor Olga challenges me, asks good questions, shares new perspectives, tips and insights, but most importantly encourages me and supports me on my journey.
Magdalena: Thanks to my mentor, Veronika, I could feel at ease again. Under her watch, I progressed with my pet project and I gained a better understanding of some programming concepts while she helped me get ready for interviews. From my experience, I have to say that going for mentorship was the best thing I have ever done for myself.
Natalia: I’ve only just begun my mentoring journey, but I’m hoping to progress in career development, understanding of my path and finding the suitable job for me. The thing is that I am moving from Ukraine and want to find a job in an international company and at the same time settle down in a new country.
Nicole: Receiving the scholarship has helped me to start the mentoring program right after graduation, which allowed me to navigate my career with the guidance of my mentor from the very beginning.
Magdalena: I gained an ally who is there for me, understands me, shows me the way and doesn't punish me when something goes differently. Thank you so much, Femme Palette, for enabling me to have this experience as a scholarship recipient.
Natalia: As a graduate psychologist and coach, I hope by the end of the mentoring program I will get clear on the companies and positions I want to work, feel more confident and inspired, and actually get started - find my best working place.
Want to apply for a Femme Palette scholarship? You can find out more about our mentoring scholarship scheme and find out if you’re eligible here. We award scholarships in cohorts, so make sure to apply before the next application deadline. If you meet the eligibility criteria, you will be entered into the selection process.
