For Colette Ono-Ko, a senior project manager in Housing Services, providing mentorship to Campus Life Services employees gives her a sense of enjoyment. That was especially true when she mentored Events & Engagement Coordinator, Jamie DeAraujo.
“Selfishly, I get a lot of enjoyment from helping people,” Ono-Ko said. “I also enjoy offering support to people like Jamie who have a desire to learn and grow, and who take the initiative to make growth a priority for themselves. It’s inspiring to be around folks and work with them in their personal and professional development.”
Ono-Ko and DeAraujo were connected through the CLS Mentorship Program. The program is a professional development and enrichment opportunity. Modeled on and inspired by several mentorship programs at UCSF, it is designed to increase engagement in CLS and support individual professional development by pairing a staff mentee with a volunteer staff mentor in one of CLS’s diverse departments. The CLS Mentorship Program kicked off last July with 55 participants from across CLS's diverse departments.
While mentorship brought them together, Ono-Ko and DeAraujo quickly bonded over their love of French Onion Soup. “We set our monthly meetings to working lunches,” DeAraujo said. “However, I’ve often reached out to Colette outside of those times and have been able to connect via email or by phone. She always makes time to support my questions and growth.”
Ono-Ko said she enjoys catching up with DeAraujo and hearing about what she has going on in her work life and personal life. “It’s been lovely getting to know her,” Ono-Ko said.
As a regular part of the mentoring program, DeAraujo and Ono-Ko met for about an hour every month and connected over the phone or by email whenever a question or topic of interest came up. “I’ve tried to gather and share resources that I think might be useful for Jamie as well.”
Assistant Director, Development, Training and Engagement, Elicia Rozic, coordinates the CLS Mentorship Program. “Mentors can be CLS staff at any level as long as they’ve been here for at least six months, and are willing to share their key skills, knowledge, and experience. Mentors find abundant benefits from this enriching experience,” she said.
Ono-Ko and DeAraujo are part of the first mentorship class and will participate in an end-of-program celebration on Monday, Feb. 26.
DeAraujo said Ono-Ko has been a dream mentor and a great resource as she embarks on her second year at CLS. “Colette’s brain is incredible,” DeAraujo said. “She could take my jumbled, all-over-the-place goals and help lay a framework for three digestible, achievable goals and pathways to identifying success.”
For Colette Ono-Ko, a senior project manager in Housing Services, providing mentorship to Campus Life Services employees gives her a sense of enjoyment. That was especially true when she mentored Events & Engagement Coordinator, Jamie DeAraujo.
