Mentoring

Personal, May 2023 - Present

Context

Service has been core to my values since I was a child, as my parents raised me to be a “man for others.” Since gaining experience in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, my favorite part of my journey has been mentoring other like-minded students. This has evolved in a variety of ways, the most notable being my involvement in entrepreneurial education, as a Teachers Assistant for Principles of Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneurial Leadership. Additionally, I mentor interested entrepreneurship students through The Garage at Northwestern (entrepreneurial incubator) and the Farley Center for Entrepreneurship (academic department).

Outcome

I started TAing in Spring of my Junior year, taught my Prof. Mert Iseri, a Chicago-based founder and mentor of mine. This was his first time teaching the course, so it was thrilling to learn alongside Mert and iterate the curriculum as time went on. Since then, I’ve TA’d for Neal Sales-Griffin, Managing Director of Techstars Chicago and Techstars Silicon valley and Dr. Tackett, an entrepreneurial psychology professor. Mert’s course was ranked the #1 rated entrepreneurship course at Northwestern in 2023.

Outside of the classroom, I’ve been a cornerstone to the entrepreneurial ecosystem at Northwestern, hosting office hours for students interested in entrepreneurship (both in the classroom and extracurricularly). I’m thankful for the relationships I’ve forged and connections I’ve made as a result of this mentorship.

I’ve even been asked to guest lecture and share my pitching techniques to Intro to Entrepreneurship courses.

Project Learnings

About myself as an Educator:

  • Transparency and vulnerability go a long way in education; the students want to see you as a peer and someone they can approach.

  • Getting feedback from someone who is just 1-2 steps further in their career path than you is the best form of advice; the learnings are fresh in their mind. With that, I’ve come to speak confidently of my experiences with those who are at the earlier stages in their entrepreneurial journey.

  • Leaning into my gregarious and extroverted personality traits help me engage with the students authentically.

  • Your actions matter. I’ve had dozens of aspiring entrepreneurs say to me that I inspired them to get started with entrepreneurship, including many of which the roles have reversed, and I now come to seek advice (including friends of mine in the hero image above!)