Embracing mentorship: sharing knowledge and experiences in the LGBTQ+ space

Archie Hardin, Senior Customer Service Advisor at Integrated DNA Technologies, spoke to myGwork about the opportunities being a mentor can provide, and the joy of passing knowledge and experience onto people.

"Hello, I am Archie Hardin and I am a Senior Customer Service Advisor at Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT). I have been at IDT for almost 3 and a half years. I think being a mentor is helping guide a mentee in a certain subject area or providing general guidance to them based on your expertise and experiences. I have been a mentor to four mentees over the last 2 years as a part of the LGBTQ+ & Friends Associate Resource Group (ARG) reverse mentoring program.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my team mentoring others and getting to know some really amazing individuals. I wanted to become a mentor originally to expand my own skill set and connect with others about my experience as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. I have learned a lot from the different mentees I have had and have enjoyed passing on my knowledge and suggestions to them.

I think being a mentor allows you a great opportunity to learn something new in each session and further develop your communication skills. I think we do need more mentors in the LGBTQ+ community, especially in this trying time. I think the more love, knowledge, and guidance we can provide each other, the better off everyone is. I always say we have all have a lot more in common then we do different and I hope to continue to discover that with more mentees in the future."