Culturally relevant mentoring

“At its best, mentoring can be a life-altering relationship that inspire mutual growth, learning, and development. Its effects can be remarkable, profound, and enduring; mentoring relationships have the capacity to transform individuals, groups, organisations, and communities”. This quote rings true whether in life, in the workplace, or in academia. In the recent years, the importance of mentorship has been increasingly discussed within academic circles. We all recognize the many tangible benefits of having a supportive mentor, such as learning about opportunities for skill training, gaining access and sponsorship to academic societies, and building professional connections and collaborations. Besides career-related supports, mentors also provide psychosocial supports like offering advice on coping strategies, building up the mentee’s self-esteem, sense of competence, and identity within the professional role that the mentee is being trained to take on 2. Further, Furthermore, as academic spaces continue to expand and become more diverse, there will be increasing numbers of mentors and mentees who come from different cultural and/or social backgrounds. In this Correspondence, I hope to highlight the importance of being mindful of such differences so that we can reflect on best practices to provide culturally relevant mentoring, especially for mentees with backgrounds that are historically underrepresented in academia.