Mentorship Session Diaries

Written by Mert Uraz, a new student in the PinballBURSARY program. She started her first semester at University of Ottawa studying Biomedical Science. Accountability is not just about keeping promises; it is about being aware of how our choices go out into the world around us. At our recent meeting, we explored how self-awareness shapes accountability, reminding us that every action we take is influenced by our emotions, thought patterns, and current state of mind. Being s

Written By: Paul VanderGriendt, Event Management Coordinator Mentorship Session Diary. Entry 26 A brand-new year! Hopefully that means we have all had a chance to rest and recharge. But what does rest really mean to you? These days there are so many things trying to grab our attention that even when we take breaks, our mind is occupied with social media, family conflicts, friends or any number of other thoughts. Giving ourselves time for proper rest is important for allowing

Written By: Paul VanderGriendt, Event Management Coordinator Mentorship Session Diary. Entry 25 We all grew up under different circumstances and have a different view of ourselves as individuals. Some of us may have had a positive outlook but feel like it has been influenced by internalizing or believing what we hear from others. Sometimes our mindset can be heavily influenced by positive or negative thoughts, but we tend to hear the negative ones the loudest. It is easy to b

Written By: Paul VanderGriendt, Event Management Coordinator Mentorship Session Diary. Entry 24 How we decide to spend our energy can determine how productive and successful our outcomes will be. When we maintain focus and discipline, we can achieve great things. Remembering to take time to appreciate our accomplishments and pause for reflection is also important. Allowing ourselves to relax and take a breath is a good way to remind us about our wins and challenges we have ov

Written By: Paul VanderGriendt, Event Management Coordinator Mentorship Session Diary. Entry 23 How we do anything is how we will do everything. Getting ourselves into a routine can help us maintain consistency in our daily lives. When we establish routines for ourselves, it can help us accomplish simple things easily and let us focus on our bigger challenges and goals. We can often fall into patterns and develop habits, whether they are good or bad. Being aware of this will

Written By: Paul VanderGriendt, Event Management Coordinator Mentorship Session Diary. Entry 22 How emotionally aware are you? Out of control emotions can dictate how we react or behave in certain situations, even if it’s not how we intend to. Being more aware of the emotions of the people around us can also help us navigate an address different situations positively. We can also work on not just controlling our emotions, but embracing them and working through them in a healt

Written By: Paul VanderGriendt, Event Management Coordinator Mentorship Session Diary. Entry 21 The conversation about missed opportunities will always include our personal life. Whether we recognize it or not, our attitudes, our relationships, our decisions in our personal life will always spillover into our professional life as well. Missing opportunities can cause us to feel like we have gaps that are difficult to replace. Focusing on maintaining positive attitudes and str

Written By: Paul VanderGriendt, Event Management Coordinator Mentorship Session Diary. Entry 20 How we think about and act upon the opportunities that come up in our life can have a huge impact on our journey. Missed opportunities can help shape who we are by how we react to them. When we dwell on these situations and allow them to become regrets, we aren’t using these experiences to our advantage. How we bounce back from missed opportunities and use them as positive learning

Written By: Paul VanderGriendt, Event Management Coordinator Mentorship Session Diary. Entry 19 What are you working on this summer? What is it that you want to achieve? We can do ourselves a favour by thinking ahead and being strategic about our objectives. Finding ways to keep ourselves at peace can help us maintain focus and positivity when it comes to working towards getting where we want to be. We cannot always avoid negativity, but we can find ways to process negativity

Written By: Paul VanderGriendt, Event Management Coordinator Mentorship Session Diary. Entry 18 Networking is a skill we can use to make connections and build bridges that will help us throughout our journey to achieve our goals. Networking can often have a connotation of being something that is uptight and corporate, but it’s important to remember that we are just having conversations with real people. We have and opportunity to be present and expand our knowledge. Being con

Written By: Paul VanderGriendt, Event Management Coordinator Mentorship Session Diary. Entry 17 Being planful and organized does not come naturally to everyone, but it can be helpful to everyone. Some of us avoid too much planning and scheduling because it may seem too tedious, we just want to go with the flow or it makes us feel restricted. If we can learn to do it in a way that works for each of us, it shouldn’t mean any of these things. Planning ahead should never feel lik

Written By: Paul VanderGriendt, Event Management Coordinator Mentorship Session Diary. Entry 16 Conflict and disagreement are unavoidable in our daily lives. Some of us may be collaborators, which allows us to work together to find the best solution for everyone. Some may be competitors or compromisers, while others may look to avoid or accommodate. Everyone approaches conflict differently and by being aware of our own tendencies, we can learn to grow and approach difficult s

Written By: Paul VanderGriendt, Event Management Coordinator Mentorship Session Diary. Entry 15 How we approach and deal with conflict is such an important conversation, that is ongoing as we grow and learn about ourselves. Who we are and where we came from create the filters through which we see the world and the situations we find ourselves in. We bring these filters into our interactions with others, but it’s important to remind ourselves everyone has their own filters and

Written By: Paul VanderGriendt, Event Management Coordinator Mentorship Session Diary. Entry 14. What do you do for play? When we have important commitments and aspirations for our professional life, it can be easy to narrow our focus and lose perspective on the bigger picture. Incorporating play and leisure into our lifestyle is so important for creating balance. Work and school deserve proper focus and attention, but we also should remember to take time to unwind and relax.

Written By: Paul VanderGriendt, Event Management Coordinator Mentorship Session Diary. Entry 13 The importance of setting goals may not be apparent, until we make the commitment to do it. Setting goals for ourselves is a way to set ourselves up for success by keeping us focused, on track and prepared to take next steps. We may have grand goals about who we want to be and where we want to go in the future. It’s important to remember that we can also use goals in our everyday l

Written By: Paul VanderGriendt, Event Management Coordinator Mentorship Session Diary. Entry 12 A new year is a chance for a fresh start. It is a chance to look forward to new things and exciting experiences. But it’s also a chance to reflect and move on from what’s holding us back. Becoming a better person may mean breaking bad habits or stopping ourselves from making excuses. Overextending ourselves can lead to fatigue and losing motivation for the things we want to accompl

Written By: Paul VanderGriendt, Event Management Coordinator Mentorship Session Diary. Entry 11 Discovering what brings us joy and making an effort to capture that in our lives is key to finding success. We can sometimes be weighed down by the struggle and the negativity that we encounter along our journey. Life will always have ups and downs, but it can be easy to hold ourselves back by focusing on how the worst parts of life affect us. By being intentional about staying pos

Written By: Paul VanderGriendt, Event Management Coordinator Mentorship Session Diary. Entry 10 We can easily get lost trying to figure out where we will be going in our lives when we don’t focus on the “why.” What we want to do should always be motivated by our why, because that is what drives us to be passionate. Finding your why can be a journey. Think about what inspires you every day, what makes you who you are and drives you forward in life. Influential people and major

Written By: Paul VanderGriendt, Event Management Coordinator Mentorship Session Diary. Entry 09 Life isn’t complete without challenges and setbacks. How we approach these situations and how we are able to learn and grow from our experiences can define us as individuals. A growth mindset is something we can use to set ourselves up for success and allow us to seize opportunities. A growth mindset means that we are open minded about the perspectives of others. It means that we p

Written By: Paul VanderGriendt, Event Management Coordinator Mentorship Session Diary. Entry 08 Integration into the workforce will inevitably come with its challenges and obstacles. Every workplace has its own culture and leadership style, but that does not always mean it is good. A toxic work environment or poor leader can be demotivating and stressful, while building the confidence and resilience to overcome barriers at work takes time and effort. We all want to find succe