Luminaries Career Coaching First Session
This fall, Step Up introduced Luminaries Career Coaching, a matched mentoring program in which mentees receive monthly career coaching from professional women. We sat down with a pair of participants to hear about their experience in the first session.
Luminaries Career Coaching offers free professional development to help young women and gender-expansive young adults between the ages of 18-23 jumpstart their careers. For three months, mentees receive monthly career coaching from assigned Step Up mentors who help them define what success looks like for them. We spoke with Alexxandra Checa who is coaching Jasmine Parks as she navigates her career journey. We asked them what they thought of the program so far and how they have been enjoying their time with Step Up. We first reached out to Alexxandra to ask her a few questions as follows:
What does being a Step Up member and mentor mean to you?
It means I get to be of service, I get to help, and I get to impact. We are all responsible for sharing our expertise and experience with those around us who need it. The Step Up program helps me give back to my community in a way where everyone wins.
What drew you to Step Up initially?
The idea that we don’t have to figure out life alone is the main thing that drew me to Step Up. Life is a journey travelled with people, and if it can be with people who know more than you then why not? I feel a great responsibility towards helping youth not make the same mistakes I did, mainly because I wish I had a mentor growing up who looked like me.
Tell us about your Luminaries Career Coaching experience. What made you sign up to be a Coach?
I have been coaching ever since I was in college in different programs. The program that changed everything for me was a group of kids who had very low SAT scores and they were in probation Freshman year of college. I saw that it wasn’t the lack of intelligence or merit that held these kids back, it was the lack of mindset and the negative, unsupportive environment they all grew up in. Coaching them helped me understand how important it is having a person who believes in you and how a simple affirmation can change the way they see themselves. Once you change the way they see themselves it is absolutely amazing to see how everything gets better around them, because they finally attract all the good things this world has to offer. By signing up to the Luminaries Career Coaching I knew I wanted to help in any ways I could and possibly change lives for the better.
What insight or knowledge has Luminaries Career Coaching brought to you so far, personally and/or professionally?
My first call with my Luminary she commented she wanted to have her life figured out by 30, and I saw the younger me in her, also trying to desperately figure life out when I was her age. In my almost 27 years of life, this was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had for two reasons:
1. She helped me understand we never figure life out completely; in fact, we never figure out life at all, and there is so much power in that
2. Career, personal life, hobbies, etc, they all continuously evolve, and even when we get to our “goal”, we are never truly done because as humans we always want more and we are made and designed to conquer. This realization has helped me give myself grace because like her, I am tough on myself, but now every time I want to convince myself I am not doing enough I think back to this conversation and realize as long as I am trying and growing, I am doing just fine. That’s a lesson they never teach you in college! Would you recommend the experience to a friend? If so, why?! Absolutely! When I said the Step Up program helps me give back to my community in a way where everyone wins, I really meant it. Your mentees teach you so much about yourself and you get to positively impact their lives in return. Everyone truly wins.
We asked Alexxandra's mentee Jasmine Parks to also add her thoughts on the program and how her experience with Alexxandra as a coach has been so far.
What does being a Step Up participant mean to you?
To me, being a Step Up participant means that I am confident, hardworking, and compassionate. I believe in myself and push myself to constantly be a better person. I have not been in the program for long but just from the orientation I attended, I felt like I belonged. I am happy and grateful to be a part of a community with such great women.
What drew you to Step Up initially?
I knew about Step Up when I was in high school and a lot of my peers and friends joined, but I never did. I think I was nervous about joining so I strayed away. Recently a friend of mine told me that I should join because the age to which you could join was extended. She told me that she would not be the person she is today without the program. I decided to join because I know they give a lot of opportunities to young women and I think it would be nice for me to make meaningful connections. I also love what the program stands for and I think it is beneficial for young women to have some sort of community and strong women to look up to. Tell us about your Luminaries Career Coaching experience.
What made you sign up to be a Young Luminary?
I signed up for the Luminaries Career Coaching Experience because I feel a bit lost in terms of figuring out what line of work I want to do. I attend Los Angeles Community College and I am majoring in business. I just have not figured out exactly what field of business I want to pursue. I also wanted to learn how to network because I am shy and introverted, but I want to be able to break out of my shell when it comes to business and my career.
What insight or knowledge has Luminaries Career Coaching brought to you so far, personally and/or professionally?
I always thought that my shyness and introvertedness was a negative thing, and that it would hinder me from progressing. My career coach Alexandra, let me know that it is okay to be that way. I do not have to change my personality to be successful. So far we have only had one call, but from that call I actually learned quite a lot. My coach described me as a problem solver. I think I am a creative and humorous person and she let me know that those are good skills to have in the professional field. Businesses need to be creative and they need to stand out in order to reach different demographics of people. I also felt stressed because I am still a bit in the dark about exactly what I want to do with my career. It is always refreshing for people to let you know that you do not have to have it all figured out right away. Everyone is moving on their own path at their own pace. I am learning to focus on myself. Alexandra has also sent me resources that I can look at for learning how to be a better speaker or finding my strengths.
Would you recommend the experience to a friend? If so, why?
I would definitely recommend the experience to a friend. I think that it is always good to get help from other people. It is especially great to get help from people in the same career field as you as well. They are successful for a reason and they have a lot of insight that they can give to you. They can help you avoid making the same mistakes that you can. I think as a society we are very individualistic and we hate to ask for help but a lot of the time asking for help from the right people will take you to great places. I think especially for women it is great to see other successful women. I know that my coach Alexandra, came to the U.S. when she was young. It is inspiring to see a fellow woman of color be successful and break all the barriers that were set in front of her. It makes me feel like I can do anything. I think women tend to forget that we are capable of great things and we have the power to rise above the standards that were set for us.
