IAS Alumni Mentor Pilot Program Reflection: Adam Zahn
In preparing to run my first Broad Street Race, I’ve been determined to hit a mark of nine-minute mile-paces though I’ve found it difficult to achieve the right balance. I run too fast in the first three miles and struggle to compensate in the middle-half, and am practically carrying myself by the last mile. The result? My practice runs have shown an average pace of 10 minutes. Not fast enough.
Running and entering post-collegiate adulthood are sort of similar. The pace and end goals are different for everyone, and it involves a decent amount of failures and false starts. You can plan as hard as you want, but sometimes you take the path that is more convenient or more accessible. Sometimes you come across a hurdle that turns you back around. You might look ahead and see a multitude of available paths, twists, and turns, which lead to a lot of contemplating and not enough moving. It can be mighty dizzying. “Finding the right path is never as you assume,” I was prepared to say to my mentee.
Krishna and I met for coffee quite frequently; my proximity to Drexel allowing us easy access to meet. She always asked the right questions, gave me updates on her job search, and most importantly, always was willing to listen. In turn, I didn’t preach (too much). I listened to her needs, fears, and curiosities about life post-Drexel. Krishna is interested in working in the non-profit sector on issues regarding women’s right, so I helped share with her the importance of making connections, following up, putting oneself out there, and becoming vulnerable to being told “sorry, but no”. She fearlessly sought out meetings with the right people to varying results of success, but understood the importance of putting her foot out there. This reciprocal exchange allowed us to meet each other half way, acknowledging the different paths we planned, yet seeing the similarities in our determination.
As a mentor, I had the privilege of not only guiding the doe-eyed student I once was, but also to hear her opinions and reflect on my own path in the field of international education. Since graduating, I have worked in two fields, immigration and international education, both equally rewarding and challenging. There have been many times when I doubted the moves I’ve made, worried that I was too stagnant, too fast, too fidgety. Krishna’s questions helped me to recall some of my mistakes, misperceptions, and overreactions to my choices. I shared that knowledge with Krishna, preparing her to accept the unavoidable while challenging the status quo. It’s a tough balance that is overbearing if you let it become so; that’s why there is happy hour.
While Krishna is smart and determined, and I have no doubt that she will be successful, success is not often immediate. We might take the wrong turn and have to backtrack. We get stuck. We go too far off the path we expected, but isn’t that the point? Recognizing that slow and steady does indeed often win the race, or at least keeps you at a decent ten-minute mile pace, is a difficult feat for a young college graduate. We don’t settle, but we adjust.
Adam Zahn earned a bachelor’s of arts in International Area Studies from Drexel University in 2011 and will be completing his Masters of Science in Education from Drexel in 2015. Adam is currently the Academic Programs Manager for the Office of International Programs at Drexel University.