Seneca College RED 2020 - 11

Seneca's SIA
A new experience for
international students
p. 12

#SenecaProud
Accomplishments
across Seneca
p. 14-15

Students benefit from mentorship program

PRO
FILES

PHOTO: IAN PATTERSON

Giving them wings

WHEN THEY ARE TOGETHER, it's easy to recognize
the deep connection between Cindy
Zarnett and Blinera Karroqe.
They could be best friends, but their
relationship goes deeper than that. They
were brought together by Seneca's Human
Resources (HR) Mentorship Program.
It provides graduating students with oneon-one mentorship from HR alumni and
program advisory committee members.
Ms. Zarnett, a Seneca alumna and
founder of boutique human resources
consulting firm Squaredots, mentored Ms.
Karroqe after she graduated from Human
Resources Management last year. She
helped Ms. Karroqe transition from campus
to corporate life.
" I couldn't have asked for a better pairing
than being matched with Blinera, " Ms.
Zarnett says. " She's absolutely amazing and
made the process so fun, so enjoyable. A

mentoring relationship is completely built
on trust, and I think we were able to
achieve that. "
Ms. Karroqe, who currently works as a
HR adviser at Allied Technical Solutions,
credits Ms. Zarnett with much of her
success in the professional world. She says
Ms. Zarnett took the time to invest in
her - not just as a HR professional but as
a human being - and that helped her gain
confidence.
" I think my career path would have been
very different without Cindy as my mentor, "
she says. " Cindy has been able to provide
me with her experience, knowledge and
expertise - which has guided me towards
the next steps in my career. "
Ms. Karroqe says the ability to reach out
to Ms. Zarnett for advice in navigating
some of the complex problems she's experienced was extremely helpful.

" We initially set up biweekly calls for a
chat, but if I had a question or I wanted
to bounce something off her, I'd contact her
and she was always available to me, " Ms.
Karroqe says.
Mentoring goes a long way in career
building for HR professionals who are in a
unique work environment, Ms. Zarnett says.
" They can't discuss their problems with
their colleagues over lunch like others
because of the highly confidential nature
of their work, " she says. " But they do need
to be able to talk to someone about their
career goals and ambitions. Mentoring is
about giving someone roots and then giving
them wings. "

Graduates like Blinera Karroqe, pictured right, benefit from
the mentorship of alumna like Cindy Zarnett.

RED

2020

11
Seneca College RED 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Seneca College RED 2020
