We were delighted to hear from Caitlin recently. Having achieved a degree in Theatre Studies from the University of Glasgow, Caitlin has progressed to a PDGE course in Edinburgh. All of which is paving an exciting path to realising her dream of becoming a secondary school drama teacher.

The spark that ignited that dream, and the role her mentoring experience with MCR Pathways played, is something we wanted to explore further, so we caught up with Caitlin to find out more.

Starting off with asking what the word ‘mentoring’ means to her, Caitlin said: “For me mentoring means support. Knowing that you have someone in your corner to listen and to guide you. I had support from my family however it’s different when you hear that someone else believes in you. It doesn’t feel like an obligated support, they’ve chosen to work alongside me and help in whichever ways feel natural to them.

“It’s more like having a friend that you can talk to about anything.  Having a mentor was a level of support I was hesitant with at first. I didn’t exactly know what it meant or if it tagged me with a certain label. Being a teenager is a stressful and important part of anyone’s life and I struggled with the changes that adulthood was bringing me. In having a mentor I was able to frequently check in with my mental and physical health along with the educational aspects of my life.”

Moving on to important qualities a mentor should have, Caitlin said: “I think a perfect mentor depends on the pupil and connection. Ultimately a mentor should be friendly, supportive and understanding. All of the other personality traits are just a bonus.”