During her teenage years, Lucy experienced multiple disruptions, from being a young carer to homelessness.
Despite these challenges, and with the help of her mentor Iain, she has gone on to study Medicine at University of Glasgow. Here’s Lucy’s perspective on having a mentor.
What did you originally think your mentor might be able to do for you?
“To be honest I had no idea what a mentor would be like. When it was explained to me, I guess I thought they would be a listening ear, someone to have a chat with once a week, but I didn’t really think about it that much at the time. I don’t think you can fully appreciate the value of a mentoring relationship until you are a part of it yourself. I underestimated the power that it can actually have.”
What was the best part of being mentored?
“The best part of it is feeling like someone actually cared, but not only do you feel that way – it is actually the case. Every single member of MCR cares about every single young person. My mentor was fabulous, he never let me down and always knew the right thing to say.”
“On a personal level, I think the main thing is he made me believe in myself when I didn’t. He gave me more confidence in my abilities and why I was capable of doing. Having someone there that will constantly tell you “you can do it”… it just kind of opens your eyes up to see the bigger picture. That it was more than just passing exams.”
How did you feel you benefited from your meetings with Iain?
“I didn’t get the grades I needed, but he made me see that it wasn’t my fault and that actually I had done amazingly well given what I was dealing with. He kept me motivated to continue when I felt like I should just give up. On a personal level, my mentor made me see that there was so much to look forward to.”
What would you say to someone who was thinking about becoming a mentor?
“It’s the one thing that you will do in your lifetime that you will 100% not regret. It’s such a unique opportunity to help mould the teachers, doctors, MPs, singers of the future. The possibility of what young people can become is infinite, but without someone to believe in them it’s wasted. They need you to believe in them.”
