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Breakthrough Moments in Impact Mentoring
Future Launch is RBC’s 10-year commitment to supporting youth across Canada prepare for the future of work. In 2022, RBC Future Launch and Ten Thousand Coffees (10KC) partnered to launch Impact Mentoring, a 12-month mentorship program designed to accelerate career growth among BIPOC youth from across Canada. January is Mentorship Month, and 10KC spoke with Makena Kigunda, one of 44 BIPOC-identifying mentees under the age of 30 matched with a professional mentor using 10KC’s proprietary Smart Matching Algorithm. Kigunda and her mentor, Ofumi Sanni, shared their experiences thus far in the Impact Mentoring program, touching on breakthrough moments and how the mentor-mentee relationship has impacted their professional and personal lives.
Sanni, a CPA, began her career at KPMG and Moneris before returning to Queen’s University to complete a master’s degree in management and analytics. She is currently Senior Manager, Strategic Initiatives and Change Management at RBC. Sanni shared that she had participated in other mentorship programs before, “but nothing for this length of time. This is the longest one I’ve done. It’s a rewarding experience,” she says. “One of the reasons I joined the program was to give back and let people know everything will be okay in the end and just be the resource for them to get to the next level,” Sanni said.
Kigunda had an existing familiarity with the 10KC platform after using it as a student at the University of Alberta.
“When you're a student, it can be intimidating to do a cold call or send a LinkedIn message. I like how [10KC] is automated and matches you with someone new every month.” After graduating with a degree in commerce, Kigunda was looking to expand her career choices, so she signed up for Impact Mentoring. She was pleasantly surprised with how intentional the initial matching process was. “The user experience, and how you build relationships, is well-thought out,” she says.
Kigunda and Sanni quickly discovered a lot in common, especially as women of colour in the financial sector. “[Ofumi] comes from an accounting background. I come from a business background, so there were layers of commonality that I’m grateful for. I felt a level of familiarity very quickly,” Kigunda says.
Sanni maintains an informal mentoring style with Kigunda. “For me personally, with anyone I'm mentoring, I like them to lead what the meeting should be about and guide me through what they want to achieve.” Her relationship with Kigunda has been wonderful, she added. “I told her, ‘Whatever you want to chat about let me know, and if there's any resources or any advice I can provide, I will provide it.’” While they have scheduled monthly meetings, she encourages Kigunda to stay connected beyond their monthly meetings. The overarching theme of their conversations is geared toward Kigunda understanding what she wants to do next in her career, and Sanni providing a sounding board for that conversation.
When Kigunda was laid off from her position within the faculty of engineering at the university this past year, their conversations shifted from current work issues to future plans. “What [Kigunda] wanted to do initially has proved challenging, and it might not be as rewarding as she would like it to be,” Sanni says. It’s given Kigunda time to reflect and troubleshoot career options with Sanni. “I did some serious introspection,” she says. Having Sanni’s ear helped Kigunda understand how to make better choices for her future. “Because of the layoff, our conversations shifted. I'm really inspired by her because she is someone who seeks a challenge. One of the things she told me is you want to be able to have growth opportunities in your career, to be able to be constantly challenged. In her experience, applying for a job that you can only do 60 or 70 percent when you first start is ideal, both for the employee and the employer. If that current employee can already do 100% of that job, they're probably not going to stay in that role,” Kigunda says. Sanni encourages her mentee to apply for jobs she might not feel qualified for. “Not to discount myself immediately,” Kigunda says. “That doesn't really go away, but you'll always have that voice in the back of your head, encouraging you.”
Both she and Kigunda connected on being perfectionists and needing to get everything right before making an important life-changing decision. “Sometimes you have to jump in, and I can see her doing that now,” Sanni said. “It’s a good reminder that I have to jump in as well.” Together, the two have been discussing outside-the-box career options for Kigunda. “What are the other opportunities out there that are just as fulfilling? I’m helping her explore that,” Sanni says. You don’t have to be stuck with one path, Sanni continues, something she’s encouraged Kigunda to embrace. Sanni has also reached out to colleagues on Kigunda’s behalf. “She’s been really supportive,” Kigunda says, whether it’s resume feedback or providing external resources for Kigunda to consider.
Sanni has seen improvements in her own communication and listening skills because of the mentorship program. Being open, seeing other people's perspectives, getting to the root cause of issues — these are takeaways Sanni is now applying to her own career in the financial world. “Sometimes the mentoring sessions can be like therapy, with you figuring yourself out. Wearing that mentor hat has been interesting.” When asked why these types of programs geared toward BIPOC-identifying mentees are important, Sanni was unequivocal with her response. “It’s important because I’ve been there. I know how difficult it is. There’s a lot of pressure to figure out what you want to do with your life. For BIPOC people, it’s tough getting ahead in our careers. There are barriers to progressing or getting that role you want. Having people who understand your struggle is important,” Sanni said. Kigunda agreed. “Sometimes when you first meet with a mentor, that initial relationship is something that can take some time and it just felt very easy. I felt very safe opening up.”
That relationship goes two ways. Sanni offers one other piece of advice to future mentees. “Be adventurous. Don’t be afraid to fail. I think I would have benefited from someone telling me that when I was younger,” Sanni says.
Breakthrough Moments in Impact Mentoring
Future Launch is RBC’s 10-year commitment to supporting youth across Canada prepare for the future of work. In 2022, RBC Future Launch and Ten Thousand Coffees (10KC) partnered to launch Impact Mentoring, a 12-month mentorship program designed to accelerate career growth among BIPOC youth from across Canada. January is Mentorship Month, and 10KC spoke with Makena Kigunda, one of 44 BIPOC-identifying mentees under the age of 30 matched with a professional mentor using 10KC’s proprietary Smart Matching Algorithm. Kigunda and her mentor, Ofumi Sanni, shared their experiences thus far in the Impact Mentoring program, touching on breakthrough moments and how the mentor-mentee relationship has impacted their professional and personal lives.
Sanni, a CPA, began her career at KPMG and Moneris before returning to Queen’s University to complete a master’s degree in management and analytics. She is currently Senior Manager, Strategic Initiatives and Change Management at RBC. Sanni shared that she had participated in other mentorship programs before, “but nothing for this length of time. This is the longest one I’ve done. It’s a rewarding experience,” she says. “One of the reasons I joined the program was to give back and let people know everything will be okay in the end and just be the resource for them to get to the next level,” Sanni said.
Kigunda had an existing familiarity with the 10KC platform after using it as a student at the University of Alberta.
“When you're a student, it can be intimidating to do a cold call or send a LinkedIn message. I like how [10KC] is automated and matches you with someone new every month.” After graduating with a degree in commerce, Kigunda was looking to expand her career choices, so she signed up for Impact Mentoring. She was pleasantly surprised with how intentional the initial matching process was. “The user experience, and how you build relationships, is well-thought out,” she says.
Kigunda and Sanni quickly discovered a lot in common, especially as women of colour in the financial sector. “[Ofumi] comes from an accounting background. I come from a business background, so there were layers of commonality that I’m grateful for. I felt a level of familiarity very quickly,” Kigunda says.
Sanni maintains an informal mentoring style with Kigunda. “For me personally, with anyone I'm mentoring, I like them to lead what the meeting should be about and guide me through what they want to achieve.” Her relationship with Kigunda has been wonderful, she added. “I told her, ‘Whatever you want to chat about let me know, and if there's any resources or any advice I can provide, I will provide it.’” While they have scheduled monthly meetings, she encourages Kigunda to stay connected beyond their monthly meetings. The overarching theme of their conversations is geared toward Kigunda understanding what she wants to do next in her career, and Sanni providing a sounding board for that conversation.
When Kigunda was laid off from her position within the faculty of engineering at the university this past year, their conversations shifted from current work issues to future plans. “What [Kigunda] wanted to do initially has proved challenging, and it might not be as rewarding as she would like it to be,” Sanni says. It’s given Kigunda time to reflect and troubleshoot career options with Sanni. “I did some serious introspection,” she says. Having Sanni’s ear helped Kigunda understand how to make better choices for her future. “Because of the layoff, our conversations shifted. I'm really inspired by her because she is someone who seeks a challenge. One of the things she told me is you want to be able to have growth opportunities in your career, to be able to be constantly challenged. In her experience, applying for a job that you can only do 60 or 70 percent when you first start is ideal, both for the employee and the employer. If that current employee can already do 100% of that job, they're probably not going to stay in that role,” Kigunda says. Sanni encourages her mentee to apply for jobs she might not feel qualified for. “Not to discount myself immediately,” Kigunda says. “That doesn't really go away, but you'll always have that voice in the back of your head, encouraging you.”
Both she and Kigunda connected on being perfectionists and needing to get everything right before making an important life-changing decision. “Sometimes you have to jump in, and I can see her doing that now,” Sanni said. “It’s a good reminder that I have to jump in as well.” Together, the two have been discussing outside-the-box career options for Kigunda. “What are the other opportunities out there that are just as fulfilling? I’m helping her explore that,” Sanni says. You don’t have to be stuck with one path, Sanni continues, something she’s encouraged Kigunda to embrace. Sanni has also reached out to colleagues on Kigunda’s behalf. “She’s been really supportive,” Kigunda says, whether it’s resume feedback or providing external resources for Kigunda to consider.
Sanni has seen improvements in her own communication and listening skills because of the mentorship program. Being open, seeing other people's perspectives, getting to the root cause of issues — these are takeaways Sanni is now applying to her own career in the financial world. “Sometimes the mentoring sessions can be like therapy, with you figuring yourself out. Wearing that mentor hat has been interesting.” When asked why these types of programs geared toward BIPOC-identifying mentees are important, Sanni was unequivocal with her response. “It’s important because I’ve been there. I know how difficult it is. There’s a lot of pressure to figure out what you want to do with your life. For BIPOC people, it’s tough getting ahead in our careers. There are barriers to progressing or getting that role you want. Having people who understand your struggle is important,” Sanni said. Kigunda agreed. “Sometimes when you first meet with a mentor, that initial relationship is something that can take some time and it just felt very easy. I felt very safe opening up.”
That relationship goes two ways. Sanni offers one other piece of advice to future mentees. “Be adventurous. Don’t be afraid to fail. I think I would have benefited from someone telling me that when I was younger,” Sanni says.
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