Mentoring Stories

Many people have acted as mentors or have been mentored. However, in many cases, neither the person acting as a mentor or the person being mentored may realize or recognize that mentoring has occurred. Sometimes people involved in mentoring do not actually use the term mentoring and instead describe their relationship as influential, impactful or learning-oriented. Such informal mentoring occurs quite frequently and it is probably wide-spread throughout the world.

We have solicited stories about mentoring from a variety of individuals. The stories are personal and we have edited some aspects of the story to protect the privacy or identity of the persons involved. The stories provided here are intended to act as examples of the various outcomes associated with mentoring.

Each story has been prepared in Adobe Acrobat PDF. To be able to read any of these stories, your browser will need to have a copy of Acrobat Reader. This software is free from Adobe and is compatible with virtually all computers and browsers. To download a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader, select the Adobe graphic at the beginning of this paragraph.

A mentor dies but his influence continues
A round peg in a square hole needed a mentor
Craftsman recalls being mentored and being a mentor
An accidental mentor saved my life
A university professor receives career mentoring
A mentor took a disabled athlete from despair to hope
A banking career is stymied because of the glass ceiling
A mentor yielded a career full of attitude
An artist reveals how to find mentors
How a mentor helped me deal with difficult projects
A mentor helps single parent balance work and family
Running Wolf showed how adversity is an opportunity
A mentor dies but leaves a legacy with his partner
A famous mentor helps an even more famous team member deal with racism
A partner recalls how a mentor changed her life direction
A mentor provides a legacy of 19,000 mentors

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