On Saturday the 30th of January the SMF launched the Aspiring Professionals Programme for 2010 with its first meet up day for Mentors and Mentees on the programme. The sessions each lasted for two hours and there were three sessions throughout the course of the day.

The first half of each session was for presentations for the Mentors and Mentees.  Raakhi Sunak gave the Mentor presentation. This gave the Mentors a better idea of what the programme entails and provided the opportunity for any questions to be raised.

Jade Broughton presented to the Mentees, and this demonstrated to the Mentees what is expected of them during the programme and what they can expect to get out the programme. It is also provided the students with a time for questions. The second half of the session was for the Mentors and Mentees to meet each other. This gave the Mentors and Mentees the chance to learn a bit about each other and to work through some activities together.

Thank you to Baker & McKenzie law firm for kindly hosting the event. Everyone who took part in the sessions showed much enthusiasm and the day got the APP off to an exciting start.

Here are some comments about the day from some of the Mentors and Mentees.

Simon with his Mentor Indrani

Indrani: “I thought today was really successful. The meet up was a great new addition to the programme as it makes the programme a bit more personal. It was a good opportunity as we got to set our goals together. This was great as we agreed on our aims for the programme, and this has given us targets to work towards.”

Simon: “I’m really glad I got to meet Indrani. She gave me a better idea of my future career and we were able to establish what we both wanted from the programme. It was also great to have the opportunity to meet some of the students from other schools.”

Jaimie with Mentee Jonah

Jaimie: “I thought the meet up was a really good idea. It’s great to meet Jonah as I was able to get a better idea of where each other have come from and we were able to identify with each other. I feel that having met each other the programme will run better as we have already made that initial connection. I feel that the programme is a great opportunity as it prepares the students well for their entry into the professional world.”

Jonah: “I really enjoyed meeting Jaimie, I got an idea of his personality and this has made me even more enthusiastic for the programme. I was really impressed with the whole day and thought it was run very professionally”.

Aisling with Mentor Balvinder

Balvinder: “I think the meet up went really well. It was great to be able to meet Ashley and find out a bit more about her. The session was well organised and I think it has got the programme off to a good start.”

Aisling: “It was a great idea to introduce the meet up session. I now have a better idea of who my mentor is and it has made it less daunting. I’m looking forward to starting the programme very much.”