Mentoring stories

Left: Mentee Sara Bechtler. Right: Mentor Andrea Valdés Hernández

Current Masters student Sara Bechtler and alumna Andrea Valdés Hernández began their mentoring relationship during the 2024/25 Global Mentoring Programme.

Andrea studied a MA in Geopolitics and Grand Strategy at Sussex, graduating in 2018. After completing her course, Andrea established herself as a communication specialist with international work experience in NGO’s, communications, and events. She is also experienced as a published author in academic journals, and specialist magazines. She is knowledgeable in constructing content that explains complex concepts in a digestible manner to ultimately drive web traffic and spark conversations. Andrea has a background in writing articles that focus on international affairs, on content localisation, and on high-profile event planning.

An innovator and diversity champion, Andrea started as a mentor for the University of Sussex Business School Mentorship programme in 2022 and subsequently has volunteered as a mentor for several years on the Global Mentoring Programme on Sussex Connect.

Sara is currently completing her Masters degree in Globalisation, Business and Development at Sussex and said she joined the mentoring programme because she was new to the development sector. She said her experience on the programme has left her with a “better understanding of the opportunities and challenges” available to her.

Sara and Andrea met online throughout the programme as Andrea is based in Mexico, with Andrea accommodating the time difference by sometimes offering mentoring sessions at six in the morning!

Andrea said she felt drawn to being a mentor because she thinks it would have helped her a student – “I wanted to give someone the opportunity I did not have”.

What made you apply for the mentoring programme?

Sara: “Coming from a business background with a strong interest in international relations, the development sector was new but fascinating to me. When I started my Masters degree, I felt that gaining insights into the sector beyond the classroom would help me build a more practical understanding and better prepare me for a future career in development.”

Andrea: “I first got contacted about mentoring in 2022 because my Sussex Connect profile preferences has ticked ‘willing to be a mentor’. That year I got paired with my first mentee, an amazing student from Luxembourg from the University of Sussex Business School. Even though I am native Spanish speaker I am fully bilingual in English and Spanish which allowed me to mentor in English as well as in other languages. I've mentored students across Sussex from the Institute of Development Studies to the Business School and School of Global Studies.

I felt drawn to being a mentor because I thought of my experience as an MA student without a mentor. I think that at that time it would have helped me get my ducks in a row, so I wanted to give someone the opportunity I did not have.”

What have you gained from your mentoring relationship?

Sara: “Thanks to Andrea’s mentorship, I have gained many insights into the development sector and learnt about what kinds of projects she has worked on. Learning from her experience, I now have a better understanding of the opportunities and challenges in the development sector and what I should look out for in my future career. Beyond these insights, the mentoring relationship helped my personal development by helping to improve my CV, as well as giving me the opportunity to work on my interview skills and guidance on how to approach future career decisions.”

Andrea: “Lots of soft skills! During my career the leaders who have inspired me have been the ones who have coherence, and this skill is something you can develop from being a mentor. As part of the programme, the Development and Alumni Relations team send guidance to help you understand the theory for developing active listening, building a rapport with your mentee, establishing a supportive environment, effective questioning and offering constructive feedback. On top of this, I try to listen to my mentees and ask them to establish their KPI’s for the mentorship, which we review throughout the programme so we can pivot if required. I also try to adapt to their schedule as some of my mentees have not only been studying but working part-time. It is very admirable to see them committing to managing all the challenges that postgraduate study requires.

In my career I aspire to eventually have direct reports and mentor my colleagues. I believe that the skills I have acquired from being a Sussex Connect mentor will contribute to me achieving this goal.

Sara was a very diligent mentee; she kept command of our agenda and was able to juggle participating in the programme in addition to working part-time and pursuing a Masters. It was inspiring for me to build rapport with her and to be able to discuss several outcomes to situations she wanted to solve through active listening solutions. I was very impressed by her.”

“Go for it. Take the training and think how these skills can enrich your professional future and how you can also help others by learning these traits.”

Andrea Valdés Hernández (MA Geopolitics and Grand Strategy 2017)

What would you say to someone considering a mentoring relationship?

Sara: “If in doubt, just try. There is no harm in trying. Even if there is no specific goal (yet) that you want to achieve, learning from someone with more experience can give you guidance and what you want (or possibly not want) in your future and how to approach these goals.”

Andrea: “Go for it. Take the training and think how these skills can enrich your professional future and how you can also help others by learning these traits.”

“Communicate clearly and set realistic expectations. At the same time, stay open and flexible.”

Sara Bechtler (MA Globalisation, Business and Development 2024)

Do you have any advice for recent graduates and students thinking of approaching a mentor?

Sara: “Communicate clearly and set realistic expectations. At the same time, stay open and flexible. Your mentor might have to offer some guidance you may have not expected but that can be resourceful for you either way.”

Andrea: "Be open and committed to the programme, I've held three successful mentorships so far, which were the outcome of a two way effort. So, have that in mind to be diligent with your mentorships, being open and assertive with your mentor, and also understand that your mentor is learning from you as well.

I am more than grateful to each of my mentees, for the trust in our work together and I am very proud of what I have seen them accomplish, from finishing their programmes to their professional development so far. I am also very thankful to the Alumni Office for allowing me to be part of the Mentorship roster.”

While Sara and Andrea met through the mentoring programme, you don’t need the University to organise mentoring relationships on your behalf. You can find your own mentor on Sussex Connect. Simply create an account, search for alumni already in the industry you’re interested in and send them a message. Make sure to look out for those who say they are ‘Willing to help’ in their profile.

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