We are pleased to announce that Seattle Information Technology (IT) department has partnered with the Seattle Promise Program in a pilot mentoring project for the 2020-2021 academic year. The past year has proven to be a time of unprecedented change — from the global COVID-19 pandemic to the uprisings for racial justice– we are all facing challenges in how we interact, work, and learn. Mentorship is a powerful tool for student and professional success, and the support that Seattle IT can provide students has never been more relevant.
This new partnership pairs Seattle Promise students with mentors from the Seattle IT department. By cultivating mutually beneficial relationships with Seattle Promise students, Seattle IT employees are cultivating skills, expanding and diversifying their career networks, providing support and guidance, and helping develop future leaders in the City of Seattle. Seattle IT’s own Sharon Hunter shares how mentorship has helped in her professional journey.
The Seattle Promise program gives Seattle’s public-high-school graduates two years of tuition-free community college. With a commitment to support more equitable higher education opportunities for Seattle students, Seattle IT seeks to create one-on-one mentoring relationships to assist students with the confidence, resources and support they need to reach their potential and develop a vision for the future. No course of study or interest in technology or public service is required for students to participate. The program is designed to help students explore and meet the goals they hope to achieve. Lucy, a Seattle Promise mentee, shares, “Having a mentor has kept me on track, and more motivated, shown me different jobs in industries that I hadn’t considered before, and given me someone I can count on.”