A mentee’s perspective: Janet & Teniola’s mentoring story

Toronto Metropolitan University’s Career Mentoring program managed by the Tri-Mentoring Program connects alumni to 3rd year and above students to support their transition from post-secondary education to the workforce. Mentors offer advice to students to help them achieve their personal and professional goals and can choose how they interact with students from one-on-one matches or flash mentoring (one-time interaction).

Hey, I am Teniola!

My name is Teniola Valerie Jegede. I am a 21-year-old Nigerian and I came to Canada in 2015. After graduating from high school in Hamilton, I attended Toronto Metropolitan University and graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) in Public Health & Safety. I am now proud to state that I will commence graduate school at Western University to attain a Master of Management of Applied Science (MMASc).

During my studies at Toronto Metropolitan University, I served as campus relations officer for Friends of MSF (Medicines Sans Frontiers) and as vice-president of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I was also a student ambassador, speaking at international students panels, leading campus tours, and staffing booths at university fairs. In 2019, I received a Toronto Metropolitan University Nancy C. Sprott Award in Occupational and Public Health and had the opportunity to publish an article (external link, opens in new window)  in The Eyeopener, the university newspaper.

Working with one of the chapters in my home country during the Summer of 2018, I participated in a Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) Routine Polio Immunization Verifier for the World Health Organization (WHO). I also interned with the Public Health department of Shell Petroleum Development Company Nigeria — a unit of RDS (Royal Dutch Shell).

My passion for Global Health grew during my undergraduate studies. I look forward to contributing to revamping the healthcare system, especially in Africa. My goal is to bring an innovative and commercial mindset to the health sector. The current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic has really exposed the impact that proper (or lack thereof) healthcare strategies can have on the global economy. I aspire to work with non-governmental organizations such as WHO and UNICEF, and to contribute to making important decisions, policies and strategies that will positively impact and improve global health, particularly in Africa where a lot of help is still needed.

My mentor, Janet!

I started my journey at the Tri-Mentoring Program (TMP) in 2018 as a peer mentor for a first-year Public Health student. I found it to be a very rewarding experience and decided to continue being a mentor during the next academic period. I later applied to become a mentee in the Career Mentoring program that TMP administers, considering I was in my fourth year and about to graduate. I remember eagerly opening the email I got that said I had been paired with a mentor and immediately checked Janet’s profile on the mentoring portal and on LinkedIn. We started talking over text and met for the first time at the Career Mentoring’s Annual Welcome Celebration. I still remember looking around the room trying to find Janet and using her LinkedIn picture as a reference. After the event we spoke, and a great mentor-mentee relationship started. Janet was instrumental to me applying to the master’s program at Western University. She guided me through my master’s degree application and was my reference for some of my applications. Incidentally, Janet and I are both alumni of Toronto Metropolitan University and Western University, only that we attended the universities in reverse order. Janet attended Western University for her undergrad and Toronto Metropolitan University for her graduate degree. Janet has this calm and motherly demeanor about her. She was so easy to talk to and was always willing to help. She then had to move away from Toronto due to her job and we had a little farewell dinner and she gave me a card where she wrote some encouraging words to me. The card is still posted on my wall. Janet was truly a Godsend, a great mentor and a friend. We continue to maintain a strong relationship. I am so grateful to have had her as my mentor.