The APWiL Mentoring Program 3rd Cohort wrapped up on October 11 with a virtual graduation ceremony kick-started with a keynote speech by Prof. Dawn Freshwater, Vice-Chancellor, University of Auckland and APWiL Presidential Champion. The ceremony highlighted participants’ accomplishments and appreciation for a fruitful year of mentor-mentee exchanges.
Involving 91 mentors and mentees from 24 APRU member universities, the 3rd Cohort’s footprint was larger than the previous cohort’s, reflecting APRU’s successful outreach within its large network.
The APRU APWiL Mentoring Program, which is co-chaired by Universiti Malaya and University of California, Davis, is a year-long commitment focused on fostering women’s leadership at APRU institutions by pairing mentors and mentees in one-on-one mentoring relationships.
Empowerment is an urgent task, given the persistent complex social and economic barriers to women’s advancement in leadership in academia.
“Participation in the APWIL program has been a rewarding experience, and I always look forward to catching up with my mentee and continuing our exchanges beyond this program,” said Juliana Ng, Director of Australian National University’s Research School of Accounting.
The 3rd Cohort was enriched by a Tecnologico de Monterrey-led workshop on Imposter syndrome: Women, psychology, and society; a Keio University and The University of Melbourne-led workshop on Exploring Intersectionality on International Women’s Day; and a seminar on The Art of Effective Communication and Negotiation with speakers from APRU, The University of Auckland, Universiti Malaya, and University of California, Davis. Participants also engaged in multiple informal networking exchanges.
Te Kawehau Hoskins, the University of Auckland’s Pro-Vice Chancellor (Maori), emphasized that she thoroughly enjoyed her first mentoring experience.
“We could call this relationship a “tuakana-teina”, one where teaching and learning occur in both directions,” Hoskins said.
Akiyo Okuda, Keio University’s Vice President, was thrilled to learn that her mentee, Wai Yee Yeong, Associate Professor Nanyang Technological University, has become the chair of her department.
“It was a true privilege to work together with Wai Yee in our careers,” Okuda said.
On the mentee side, Kaori Idemaru, Professor at the University of Oregon, revealed that participating in the APWiL Mentoring Program empowered her to work on developing leadership skills and raising her research prominence purposefully and proactively.
“With my mentor’s guidance, I applied and secured university fellowships, accepted invitations for guest lectures, and submitted research grants,” Idemaru said.
Carolina Senes, Chair of Tecnologico de Monterrey’s Regional Bioengineering Department (West area), said the 3rd Cohort will influence her well beyond the immediate future.
“It steered me towards decisions that will leave a lasting imprint on my career trajectory,” Senes said.
We congratulate all the participants from the APWiL Mentoring Program 3rd Cohort, and we hope that the experiences, learnings, and relationships built throughout it will help them grow in their professional careers and achieve their goals.
To learn more about the APWiL Mentoring Program visit its website here.