INSA's Speed Mentoring a Virtual Success

Due to the pandemic, this year's Speed Mentoring event was held virtually, but our 150+ mentors and mentees did not let that stop them from building relationships with IC professionals from government, industry, and academia.

The evening kicked off with keynote remarks from Colonel Candice Frost, Director of Foreign Intelligence for the Army G-2, a long-time champion of mentorship and teacher of leadership. Pulling from personal experience from her own career and conversations she has had with her own mentees, Col. Frost offered advice about professional development and networking. Some of her pro-tips included: Be the best at the job you're given, even if it's not the job you want; learn to be efficient with the short amount of time you may have to talk to leaders in your field (have a "long-hallway-walk pitch"); and network, network, network!

After hearing from Col. Frost, the two dozen mentors and 135 mentees split into breakout rooms for four 15-minute mentoring rounds. The small group setting and rotation of mentors allowed mentees to network with their peers, learn from senior members of the community, and gain valuable insights to their career-related questions. The energy was palpable through the screen! Said one attendee, "It was inspiring to watch IC professionals from all stages of their careers engage with each other and grow excited about all the opportunity that the future holds."

"I did not know what to expect, but I really enjoyed meeting the mentors on a personal level and being able to ask them questions freely. I will definitely sign up to do this event again!"

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