My Mentoring Experience - Colin Jun

Why did you decide to seek the help of a mentor at King’s?

I learned about the mentorship program through my friend just a few days before the deadline. As a final-year student who was both preparing for a future career and was leading the (King's College London United Nations Association) as the president for the first time, I thought it would be an excellent opportunity for me to get some advice. Moreover, I was generally interested in getting to know an alumnus from our university, who shares a similar passion as me, who is working in the public sector to help others!

How have you benefited from having Aru as your mentor?

Aru has provided much valuable leadership advice. The advice I received helped me better and more effectively manage the King's College London United Nations Association as the president. Talking with Aru in mentorship sessions always made me reflect on my leadership skills and increased my confidence in being a leader.

Moreover, Aru has guided me to achieve personal growth by sharing advice on how to prepare my CV and myself for a professional career, especially in the public sector, which I am passionate about. It was great to gain more insights into what a public sector career looks like and what skills I should prepare for the future.

What has been the highlight of your mentoring partnership with Aru?

The first highlight was that we could meet with each other online even though there was an eight-hour difference between Aru and I when I was briefly back in the Republic of Korea during the winter. Although it was a considerable time difference, it was great to meet him and chat about my upcoming trip to Egypt!

The second highlight was when I shared that I got into the internship (at the UN) with Aru. As I received much advice on preparing for my career and future from him, I was very grateful that I could share with him that I got accepted to the internship and am joining the World Food Programme.

Why do you think having a mentor is important?

I believe having a mentor is vital for many university students preparing for their future careers. As much as we now have different routes to gain knowledge or insights on various industries online, there is nothing more valuable than the lived experience of the mentors. From those lived experiences, we can not only learn how to prepare for a career but also how to become a better person. Moreover, I believe having a mentor who we can talk to or ask questions as a friend can also give us more confidence in our life and career.

What’s the best piece of advice Aru has given you? What impact has this had on you?

Among so many pieces of advice Aru has shared with me, I would like to share the pieces of advice that he has given me on leadership. When I was reflecting on my leadership style, Aru shared that I should have more honest discussions with people I work with about the work and how much support I should provide as the leader. That advice made me reflect on my communication style and pushed me to find better and more open ways to communicate with others.

What would you say to other students interested in mentoring?

Even though it might be a cliché, don’t be afraid to join the program - it is indeed a valuable experience that King's can provide to you! I also hope that instead of thinking of a mentorship program as the way to build a connection, you think of it more as building a friendship with someone you can talk to and learn from – it will make your mentorship experience more comfortable and smoother. Most importantly, I hope you thoroughly enjoy the mentorship program as much as possible and build the mentorship program together with your mentor in the way you want – there is no one answer to how the program pans out. How you want the program to influence and help you is up to you, so actively communicate with your mentor and get to know them more!

Name: Colin Jun
Degree: International Relations, 2021
Where is he now? UN World Food Programme

To read about Aru’s experience of working with Colin, please click here 

In 2022, 575 volunteers contributed over 2900 hours towards the King's Global Day of Service - will you help us go further in 2023?

Mentor through King's Connect this March for your volunteering hours to be included towards our Global Day of Service total. You can find out all you need to know about Global Day of Service at www.kcl.ac.uk/giving/service/global-day-service