Testimonials

Mentorship Lunch Testimonials

testimonial 1, from Leah

My name is Leah Alfred-Olmedo, and I was a mentee at last year’s Renate Eigenbrod mentorship lunch, paired with the wonderful Laura Furlan. Laura is an associate professor at UMass Amherst, which is quite a distance from UBC (where I study), so I’m very grateful to ILSA for bringing us together. 

Before the lunch I was a bit nervous, but the atmosphere was friendly and relaxed and we were given questions to prompt conversation and activity sheets to keep us busy. Laura and I shared lunch and chatted; we used the question sheet to get past our (read: my) initial shyness, and by the end of the lunch it felt like I was visiting with an old friend. Because the lunch was at the beginning of the ILSA gathering, Laura and I ran into each other throughout the weekend. By going, we both added a new friendly face to our ILSA communities. 

I encourage everyone to sign up for the Renate Eigenbrod mentorship lunch, even those (like me) who get anxious at the thought of networking. The ILSA gathering is a whirlwind of inspirational thinkers and creators, and the lunch provides an opportunity to pause, take a breath, and connect through friendly conversation. 

I’m looking forward to seeing Laura again at this year’s ILSA gathering, and I can’t wait to see who I meet at this year’s lunch!