A decade of leadership
Harry G. Schaefer Mentorship Program celebrates its 10-year anniversary
— Mount Royal University | Posted: April 28, 2022
The Harry G. Schaefer Mentorship Program (HGS) at Mount Royal University has reached an exciting milestone. It has now been ten years of the program’s existence, which pairs full-time credit students from any faculty with industry experts willing to share their time, knowledge and a few valuable life lessons with those just starting out.
This year, the HGS connected 61 MRU students with 59 industry professionals offering guidance and leadership to launch and sustain their careers. In celebration of the mid-way point of the 2022 program, mentees and mentors took the opportunity to meet in Ross Glen Hall on April 27 to mingle with other program participants and hear from a panel of speakers about the power of mentorship.
“In its 10th year, HGS continues to deliver impactful career development to MRU students,” says Sarah Imran, director of Career Services at Mount Royal.
“Our team is excited to host this year's celebration after the COVID-related hiatus, and we look forward to helping mentees and mentors connect and network beyond their pairs and learn through the interactive components of the evening.”
In 2012, the Schaefer family gifted MRU funds to create this impactful student-centered mentorship program, which they continue to support.
The importance of a mentor/mentee relationship cannot be overstated. Almina Kovčić, a first-year Aviation Diploma student, is new to the HGS and has been partnered with a pilot. She is thrilled to see what the future holds.
Almina Kovčić
“Aviation is an incredibly small world and learning from people in the industry is a great benefit to new aviators,” Kovčić says.
Keen to gain new perspectives from her mentor, she says, “Even though the aviation world changes regularly, the foundation always stays the same and hearing from my mentor is a great benefit.”
Kovčić’s mentor, Christina Dethmers, graduated from Mount Royal’s aviation program in 2007. She is currently a first officer for WestJet on the Boeing 737 based in Calgary and has been mentoring at MRU for four years. Dethmers has experienced the value of being a mentee and wanted to pass the experience along.
“I realized how life-changing mentorship can be and wanted to be able to provide a space for mentees to ask questions and for me to provide perspective and advice from my experiences and knowledge,” Dethmers explains. “I take satisfaction in knowing that sharing my experiences, both positive and challenging, will hopefully make someone else’s journey a little bit easier or at least ensure they know they are not alone in their triumphs and struggles.”
Kovčić and Dethmers first connected in January 2022. Like most aviators, both share a love of coffee. “We first met at a coffee shop where Christina shared her journey about becoming a pilot and we set our mentorship goals,” Kovčić says. “Christina is always willing to go above and beyond for me.”
Christina Dethmers
Dethmers describes Kovčić as an energetic and optimistic person who makes the aviation industry “sparkle” when she speaks about it.
“We both learn and grow from hearing each other’s perspective and gain a more fulsome view of the world around us,” Dethmers says.
Dethmers notes that the HGS Mentorship Program is an incredible resource for MRU students, especially for those enrolled in aviation. “Meeting people and building relationships is key to advancing your career in the aviation industry and HGS facilitates this.”
Connect with professionals in your future field or graduate program of interest to discuss career aspirations and options, develop new skills, and gain new insights with the Harry G. Schaefer Mentorship Program.