Ashley, Insight2Uni Mentot

Ashley, a Business Management (Human Resources) graduate from the University of Leeds, brings a genuine passion for guidance and personal development to the Insight2Uni mentorship programme. Having previously experienced mentorship in other contexts, Ashley saw a gap she wished had been filled during her own transition into university, and joined the programme to provide that support for someone else.

"When I was going into uni, I didn't have any guidance, especially when it came to things like cost of living and making decisions about where to go and what to study. Being able to give someone a second opinion made a real difference."

Ashley, Insight2Uni Mentor

Outcomes

The programme gave Ashley the opportunity to draw on her own lived experience of navigating university to provide meaningful, practical support to her mentee. A key moment came when her mentee was working on her personal statement and struggling to balance personal interests with career aspirations.

Ashley's advice was clear: "You may be interested in something, it may be a hobby, but if you don't want it as a career, there's no point studying it. You can still pursue it alongside your course." This guidance proved to be a turning point, helping her mentee choose a course aligned with where she genuinely wanted to go.

Lasting Legacy

Perhaps the most telling sign of the mentorship's impact came after the programme officially ended, when Ashley's mentee reached out independently to seek advice on course applications. "That showed me that she had found a safe space," Ashley reflected.

For Ashley, the experience also left its mark professionally. Working in HR, she found that the coaching and active listening skills she developed through the programme were directly applicable to her career. For any prospective mentor, she encourages taking the time to understand your mentee's communication style and creating an environment where they feel genuinely heard.