“Hearing the stories of the youths helped me to see the world from a new perspective.”
– Florence Fong, Managing Director at Credit Suisse APAC Wealth Management
This article was published on the 1st of April, 2022.
Mentoring is a personal enriching journey for me. It is a process of constantly learning what I do not know and unlearning what I thought I knew. I hope to have a positive impact on the lives of youth, no matter which stage they are at in their lives. As a mentor, I can be a trusted older sister who shares her life experiences with the youths to help guide them and lessen the mistakes they might potentially make. Hence, this is why I value mentoring greatly.
I am currently a Managing Director with Credit Suisse APAC Wealth Management and the Executive Sponsor for the Credit Suisse Singapore Women’s Network (SWN). My journey with Halogen began many years ago with Credit Suisse’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) volunteering programme. It was through the Credit Suisse SWN that I first became acquainted with Halogen. Since then, Halogen’s mentoring programmes have continued to be an annual fixture with the SWN Mentoring Programme.
During my mentorship journey, I was inspired by a particular mentee – she was tenacious, driven, and had a grateful heart despite her background. Although she came from ITE, she was determined to get into the university of her dreams. She even juggled between studying and helping her mother with her job. This simple act of wanting to share her mother’s burden was very commendable and admirable as it demonstrated selflessness and maturity. Through my interactions and conversations with her, I was constantly reminded to be grateful for the simple things in life and to not take things for granted.
My experience with Halogen’s mentoring programme can be summed up in two words: impactful and personal. Hearing the stories of the youths helped me to see the world from a new perspective. In fact, I still use some of my mentees’ valuable sharing to impart values to my two young sons!
I believe that the entire mentoring process extends its impact and benefits to both the mentee and the mentor. As a mentor to someone outside my field of expertise, I was able to gain a different perspective and even apply what I learned to my own work. Hence, I would like to encourage others to embark on the journey of mentoring and experience the joy of mentoring for themselves. If you’re interested, do check out Halogen’s mentoring opportunities here!
