Mentorship
Our Mentoring Model
We each carry unique talents and strengths as we make our way along this academic path. It is important to us to share our strength and wisdom with one another. It is also crucial for us to ASK for help - because plenty of those moments exist in graduate school. If one ascribes to the Western perspective of individualism, asking for help can be more difficult to do, even stigmatizing. This academic culture is based on values that often do not align with our Indigenous values - values instilled in many of us since childhood. We were taught about the interconnectedness of all things. Honoring and supporting our well-being in academia is informed by our holistic view. Asking for help takes strength and an important part of any community. Asking others allows for reciprocity and is essential in our everyday interactions with one another. Because of our understanding of asking for help, we are nourished and supported by one another and have a strong sense of belongingness – we are never alone in this journey.
Onward together.
Isaacs, D. S., Killgore, R., Mack, S. A., Ficklin, E., Ellington, T., & Tehee, M. (in press). All you have to do is “ASK”: An Indigenous approach to holistic wellness in academia. Women, Gender, and Families of Color.