Celebrating career successes at the Professional Mentoring Awards

Inemesit and Emmanuel: Overcoming imposter syndrome and embracing your potential

For one mentor and mentee pair, the evening was a celebration of both their efforts on the scheme as they each took home an award for mentoring excellence.

Inemesit Emmanuel (MSc Human Computer Interaction Design, 2023), said she felt unsure of her next career steps when she first joined the Professional Mentoring programme. She was mentored by Habibur Emmanuel, a UX Designer at Ford Motor Company and City St George’s alumnus.

"I signed up because I was feeling pretty lost about how to start my career, especially as an international student,” said Inemesit. “The idea of stepping into the job market was both exciting and intimidating and I was facing the added challenge of figuring out how things worked in a new country. What really drew me to the programme was having someone experienced to guide me through this tricky transition."

Habibur, who has mentored on the scheme for two years, said he is passionate about making a difference to the lives of students and this motivates him as a mentor.

"In the two years I’ve been part of the programme, I’ve worked with some amazing mentees who’ve been recognised with awards. The real achievement for me is making a positive impact on someone else’s life."

Inemesit shadowed Habibur at Ford and said the experience was “wonderful.” The opportunity offered Inemesit an insight into the user experience design field, she explained. “I got to see how theoretical concepts from my studies applied in a real-world setting.”

Through mock interviews with Habibur, Inemesit was also able to improve her interview skills and feel more confident, she said.

“Thanks to Habibur’s support, I landed a contract role at City St George's. It feels like a huge win and a direct result of the skills and confidence I gained.

Inemesit now works at the City University Interaction Lab, where she works alongside the web team responsible for redesigning the University’s website. “This role allows me to apply my skills in user-centred design while collaborating with a talented team to improve the digital interface of the university,” she said.

The new mentor applications for March 2025 are open. Apply now to become a mentor in City St George's Spring mentoring cohort. The deadline is December 22, 2024. Find out more.

On attending the awards ceremony, Inemesit said: “Celebrating with Habibur made the evening even more memorable. Seeing our hard work recognised and shared was a proud moment for both of us.”

Irene and Lucy: ‘Speaking the same language’ and industry insights

Irene Hsu is an MSc Business Analytics graduate who studied at Bayes Business School.

Originally from Taiwan, Irene joined the mentoring scheme as she was finding it a challenge to navigate the UK job market.

“After graduation, I started looking for a job, but without work experience and as an international graduate, it was very hard to find a role in the UK. That’s why I joined the mentoring scheme, I needed a mentor to guide me through the job application process and help me understand the UK job market.”

Irene was paired with Lucy Sabelnikova, a data engineer and City alumna, who helped Irene translate her skills into job opportunities.

Lucy and Irene met regularly to discuss applications and career strategies.

“Lucy encouraged me to accept the internship offer from my current company, and I became a full-time data analyst after the internship ended."

Irene now works as a data analyst at a consultancy in London. At the awards ceremony, she took home the award for Breakthrough Mentee of the Year.

Lucy said she found it incredibly rewarding to see Irene thrive in her career journey. She explained:

"The most rewarding part has been seeing Irene's impressive growth, both personally and professionally. Watching her secure an internship in the UK from Taiwan, then secure a permanent job, move countries and actively build her professional network has been incredibly fulfilling.

“Being a mentor had a positive impact on my life, as it allowed me to learn from Irene by gaining new perspectives and develop my coaching and listening skills.

"Having studied at the same university, where I had an amazing time, I wanted to give back to the student community. I felt I could share advice and experience that would be helpful to students.”

The Professional Mentoring Scheme: Connecting people from all walks of life

Xenia Kotova, Student Development Leader (Professional Mentoring), hosted the awards and works to deliver the award-winning Professional Mentoring Scheme each year. She said the scheme is impactful and rewarding thanks to the range of students and industry professionals who take part in each cohort.

“Every participant in our programme, whether a student or mentor, brings their own unique story, enriching the experience for everyone involved. I think it is both eye-opening and deeply encouraging to discover how many people are out there who can understand, support, and inspire you.

“This is what makes our programme so impactful, rewarding, and successful: the people, their stories, and a shared, genuine desire to help one another.”