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Dr Katie Allen with 2022 School Captain Ahelee.
Dr Katie Allen with 2022 School Captain Ahelee.
The Power of a Community of Mentors
A mentor is a powerful ally everyone can utilise. Mentoring has the ability to create new connections and provide alternate points of view and opportunities to grow and learn. With the professionalisation of women in the workforce, networking and networking ability has never been more prevalent.
Old Grammarian Dr Katie Allen (Stephens, 1983) believes that understanding the power of networking and mentorship and how to do both are important skills mentors and mentees should have. The third-generation Grammarian remembers the influence and the desire to excel academically that her mentor, Hilary Box Feltham, instilled in her at a young age and how that opened doors to opportunities she didn't believe were possible.
'Aunty Box', as she was affectionately known, was an Old Grammarian and one of Katie's mother's friends at MGGS. Katie said Hilary, a passionately curious and fiercely intellectual person, significantly influenced her life and career direction through her mentoring. She was the first of many mentors for Katie.
"She was a great mentor to me and was a font of knowledge. She inspired me to apply to go to Cambridge University at a time when I knew no one who had ever been there."
"Because her brother was at Oxford and she knew a lot about Oxbridge, it was her encouragement that inspired me to dream big and seek the opportunity to experience Cambridge University."
Old Grammarian Dr Katie Allen (Stephens, 1983) believes that understanding the power of networking and mentorship and how to do both are important skills mentors and mentees should have. The third-generation Grammarian remembers the influence and the desire to excel academically that her mentor, Hilary Box Feltham, instilled in her at a young age and how that opened doors to opportunities she didn't believe were possible.
'Aunty Box', as she was affectionately known, was an Old Grammarian and one of Katie's mother's friends at MGGS. Katie said Hilary, a passionately curious and fiercely intellectual person, significantly influenced her life and career direction through her mentoring. She was the first of many mentors for Katie.
"She was a great mentor to me and was a font of knowledge. She inspired me to apply to go to Cambridge University at a time when I knew no one who had ever been there."
"Because her brother was at Oxford and she knew a lot about Oxbridge, it was her encouragement that inspired me to dream big and seek the opportunity to experience Cambridge University."
Old Grammarian Dr Katie Allen (Stephens, 1983) believes that understanding the power of networking and mentorship and how to do both are important skills mentors and mentees should have. The third-generation Grammarian remembers the influence and the desire to excel academically that her mentor, Hilary Box Feltham, instilled in her at a young age and how that opened doors to opportunities she didn't believe were possible.
'Aunty Box', as she was affectionately known, was an Old Grammarian and one of Katie's mother's friends at MGGS. Katie said Hilary, a passionately curious and fiercely intellectual person, significantly influenced her life and career direction through her mentoring. She was the first of many mentors for Katie.
"She was a great mentor to me and was a font of knowledge. She inspired me to apply to go to Cambridge University at a time when I knew no one who had ever been there."
"Because her brother was at Oxford and she knew a lot about Oxbridge, it was her encouragement that inspired me to dream big and seek the opportunity to experience Cambridge University."
Dr Katie Allen at the Principals' Portraits Unveiling.
Dr Katie Allen at the Principals' Portraits Unveiling.
The third-generation Grammarian says having the belief and support of someone from another generation is powerful.
"She was very nonjudgmental, enthusiastic and inspiring," Katie said of Hilary.
"That influence, from someone who wasn't related to me, someone across a generation, to believe in me and see a spark that she thought was worth nurturing, was incredibly powerful."
"It's kind of like a pull-through across the generation. It was very validating to have someone older, who had set up a law degree at Monash University, think I had something in me. It gives you that tug that you can do it."
Having experienced the power of mentoring, Katie is passing on the lessons she learned during her career to a new generation of Grammarians. The former Member of Parliament for Higgins has helped two current MGGS students – 2022 School Captain Ahelee and Year 5 Grace – find their passion.
Katie helped Grace launch coding classes via Zoom for students from Year 2 to Year 5 around Higgins in 2020, opening the door for her to use her voice and passion to teach her peers coding. What started as an idea in a meeting between the two generations of Grammarians turned into a club that attracted 250 people over six sessions.
"Without Dr Allen, it wouldn't have been possible to have the opportunity to start a community coding club at such a young age, as they wouldn't have understood my capability to be self-disciplined and committed to deliver on my word," Grace said.
"Being an Old Grammarian, she understood that I would live the School values of courage, integrity, compassion and self-discipline, and quickly turned an idea into an action, connecting with all the principals of schools in Higgins and within two weeks, the ABC for Coding was up and running."
"She had faith in me and is also very action-oriented. While the code club was for students across Prahran and South Yarra, through the Higgins Facebook post and from word of mouth, we had students from around Victoria joining the sessions."
The third-generation Grammarian says having the belief and support of someone from another generation is powerful.
"She was very nonjudgmental, enthusiastic and inspiring," Katie said of Hilary.
"That influence, from someone who wasn't related to me, someone across a generation, to believe in me and see a spark that she thought was worth nurturing, was incredibly powerful."
"It's kind of like a pull-through across the generation. It was very validating to have someone older, who had set up a law degree at Monash University, think I had something in me. It gives you that tug that you can do it."
Having experienced the power of mentoring, Katie is passing on the lessons she learned during her career to a new generation of Grammarians. The former Member of Parliament for Higgins has helped two current MGGS students – 2022 School Captain Ahelee and Year 5 Grace – find their passion.
Katie helped Grace launch coding classes via Zoom for students from Year 2 to Year 5 around Higgins in 2020, opening the door for her to use her voice and passion to teach her peers coding. What started as an idea in a meeting between the two generations of Grammarians turned into a club that attracted 250 people over six sessions.
"Without Dr Allen, it wouldn't have been possible to have the opportunity to start a community coding club at such a young age, as they wouldn't have understood my capability to be self-disciplined and committed to deliver on my word," Grace said.
"Being an Old Grammarian, she understood that I would live the School values of courage, integrity, compassion and self-discipline, and quickly turned an idea into an action, connecting with all the principals of schools in Higgins and within two weeks, the ABC for Coding was up and running."
"She had faith in me and is also very action-oriented. While the code club was for students across Prahran and South Yarra, through the Higgins Facebook post and from word of mouth, we had students from around Victoria joining the sessions."
The third-generation Grammarian says having the belief and support of someone from another generation is powerful.
"She was very nonjudgmental, enthusiastic and inspiring," Katie said of Hilary.
"That influence, from someone who wasn't related to me, someone across a generation, to believe in me and see a spark that she thought was worth nurturing, was incredibly powerful."
"It's kind of like a pull-through across the generation. It was very validating to have someone older, who had set up a law degree at Monash University, think I had something in me. It gives you that tug that you can do it."
Having experienced the power of mentoring, Katie is passing on the lessons she learned during her career to a new generation of Grammarians. The former Member of Parliament for Higgins has helped two current MGGS students – 2022 School Captain Ahelee and Year 5 Grace – find their passion.
Katie helped Grace launch coding classes via Zoom for students from Year 2 to Year 5 around Higgins in 2020, opening the door for her to use her voice and passion to teach her peers coding. What started as an idea in a meeting between the two generations of Grammarians turned into a club that attracted 250 people over six sessions.
"Without Dr Allen, it wouldn't have been possible to have the opportunity to start a community coding club at such a young age, as they wouldn't have understood my capability to be self-disciplined and committed to deliver on my word," Grace said.
"Being an Old Grammarian, she understood that I would live the School values of courage, integrity, compassion and self-discipline, and quickly turned an idea into an action, connecting with all the principals of schools in Higgins and within two weeks, the ABC for Coding was up and running."
"She had faith in me and is also very action-oriented. While the code club was for students across Prahran and South Yarra, through the Higgins Facebook post and from word of mouth, we had students from around Victoria joining the sessions."
Dr Katie Allen with Grace when she was in Year 4.
Dr Katie Allen with Grace when she was in Year 4.
Grace added: "Dr Allen gave me the voice to talk about the importance of STEM for our future, and why a love for maths is important for careers of the future whether it is medicine, artificial intelligence and data analytics, finance, or helping solve sustainable challenges to care for our people and planet.”
"This was an amazing opportunity to share with the student leaders, who were older than me (Years 5 to 12), about the importance of giving back to the community and helping those who might not have as many privileges."
"Dr Allen's faith in me helped draw me out of my shell and helped me believe that even if you're young, you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it."
Grace said Katie "is an amazing inspiration on how your career can evolve and have the ability to influence so many people if you love engaging with the community and working with them."
Ahelee's connection with Katie started when she emailed her as a Year 7, telling the Old Grammarian she had inspired her and that she wanted to follow a similar career path. Their communication picked up again at the end of 2019 after Ahelee interviewed Katie for a speech about women in STEM for a national public speaking competition. That interview, and a later internship at Parliament House in Canberra, sparked the beginning of Katie mentoring the future School Captain.
"It has been amazing, and I've been really thankful," Ahelee said of Katie's support.
"Politics is a big interest of mine, and I've always wanted to be a doctor, so seeing someone do both and be a respected member of the community, have such amazing values, give back, and is someone who's true to herself, and confident is amazing to see.”
"Getting advice directly from her and having that support has meant a lot."
Ahelee said the connection she built with Katie gave her the confidence to expand her network and find more mentors.
"It's taught me that there are so many people out there who are willing to mentor or support you in any way," she said.
"All you have to do is ask, and if you ask them and they say no, that's the worst thing that's going to happen."
"It's given me a lot of courage, in future years, to ask for more mentorship or to tell someone, 'I'm so inspired by your work, I would love to have a chat'."
Katie said OGs thinking about mentoring don't have to be the best in their field to offer something; just mentoring can be quite profound and deeply satisfying. She added mentors could provide time, experience, and a helicopter view or be a sounding board for their mentees.
The former medical researcher said the best thing for current Grammarians to do to get mentors was to catch up for coffee or lunch with the person they admire. She added it might take a few points of contact to find someone they would like to be mentored by, and if that person isn't right for them or they are short on time, ask for suggestions. Another tip was to get multiple mentors so that they have a full suite to ask for advice or support. One mentor doesn’t necessarily provide all that a mentee needs.
Katie said community members willing to be mentors are good signs of a thriving, engaged and caring community.
"When there is an extensive mentoring network, it's a very healthy sign, whatever organisation it is," she said.
"Whether it's a school, university or where I used to work at a Research Institute, mentoring is a sign of a very optimistic and healthy non-toxic environment."
Grace added: "Dr Allen gave me the voice to talk about the importance of STEM for our future, and why a love for maths is important for careers of the future whether it is medicine, artificial intelligence and data analytics, finance, or helping solve sustainable challenges to care for our people and planet.”
"This was an amazing opportunity to share with the student leaders, who were older than me (Years 5 to 12), about the importance of giving back to the community and helping those who might not have as many privileges."
"Dr Allen's faith in me helped draw me out of my shell and helped me believe that even if you're young, you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it."
Grace said Katie "is an amazing inspiration on how your career can evolve and have the ability to influence so many people if you love engaging with the community and working with them."
Ahelee's connection with Katie started when she emailed her as a Year 7, telling the Old Grammarian she had inspired her and that she wanted to follow a similar career path. Their communication picked up again at the end of 2019 after Ahelee interviewed Katie for a speech about women in STEM for a national public speaking competition. That interview, and a later internship at Parliament House in Canberra, sparked the beginning of Katie mentoring the future School Captain.
"It has been amazing, and I've been really thankful," Ahelee said of Katie's support.
"Politics is a big interest of mine, and I've always wanted to be a doctor, so seeing someone do both and be a respected member of the community, have such amazing values, give back, and is someone who's true to herself, and confident is amazing to see.”
"Getting advice directly from her and having that support has meant a lot."
Ahelee said the connection she built with Katie gave her the confidence to expand her network and find more mentors.
"It's taught me that there are so many people out there who are willing to mentor or support you in any way," she said.
"All you have to do is ask, and if you ask them and they say no, that's the worst thing that's going to happen."
"It's given me a lot of courage, in future years, to ask for more mentorship or to tell someone, 'I'm so inspired by your work, I would love to have a chat'."
Katie said OGs thinking about mentoring don't have to be the best in their field to offer something; just mentoring can be quite profound and deeply satisfying. She added mentors could provide time, experience, and a helicopter view or be a sounding board for their mentees.
The former medical researcher said the best thing for current Grammarians to do to get mentors was to catch up for coffee or lunch with the person they admire. She added it might take a few points of contact to find someone they would like to be mentored by, and if that person isn't right for them or they are short on time, ask for suggestions. Another tip was to get multiple mentors so that they have a full suite to ask for advice or support. One mentor doesn’t necessarily provide all that a mentee needs.
Katie said community members willing to be mentors are good signs of a thriving, engaged and caring community.
"When there is an extensive mentoring network, it's a very healthy sign, whatever organisation it is," she said.
"Whether it's a school, university or where I used to work at a Research Institute, mentoring is a sign of a very optimistic and healthy non-toxic environment."
Grace added: "Dr Allen gave me the voice to talk about the importance of STEM for our future, and why a love for maths is important for careers of the future whether it is medicine, artificial intelligence and data analytics, finance, or helping solve sustainable challenges to care for our people and planet.”
"This was an amazing opportunity to share with the student leaders, who were older than me (Years 5 to 12), about the importance of giving back to the community and helping those who might not have as many privileges."
"Dr Allen's faith in me helped draw me out of my shell and helped me believe that even if you're young, you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it."
Grace said Katie "is an amazing inspiration on how your career can evolve and have the ability to influence so many people if you love engaging with the community and working with them."
Ahelee's connection with Katie started when she emailed her as a Year 7, telling the Old Grammarian she had inspired her and that she wanted to follow a similar career path. Their communication picked up again at the end of 2019 after Ahelee interviewed Katie for a speech about women in STEM for a national public speaking competition. That interview, and a later internship at Parliament House in Canberra, sparked the beginning of Katie mentoring the future School Captain.
"It has been amazing, and I've been really thankful," Ahelee said of Katie's support.
"Politics is a big interest of mine, and I've always wanted to be a doctor, so seeing someone do both and be a respected member of the community, have such amazing values, give back, and is someone who's true to herself, and confident is amazing to see.”
"Getting advice directly from her and having that support has meant a lot."
Ahelee said the connection she built with Katie gave her the confidence to expand her network and find more mentors.
"It's taught me that there are so many people out there who are willing to mentor or support you in any way," she said.
"All you have to do is ask, and if you ask them and they say no, that's the worst thing that's going to happen."
"It's given me a lot of courage, in future years, to ask for more mentorship or to tell someone, 'I'm so inspired by your work, I would love to have a chat'."
Katie said OGs thinking about mentoring don't have to be the best in their field to offer something; just mentoring can be quite profound and deeply satisfying. She added mentors could provide time, experience, and a helicopter view or be a sounding board for their mentees.
The former medical researcher said the best thing for current Grammarians to do to get mentors was to catch up for coffee or lunch with the person they admire. She added it might take a few points of contact to find someone they would like to be mentored by, and if that person isn't right for them or they are short on time, ask for suggestions. Another tip was to get multiple mentors so that they have a full suite to ask for advice or support. One mentor doesn’t necessarily provide all that a mentee needs.
Katie said community members willing to be mentors are good signs of a thriving, engaged and caring community.
"When there is an extensive mentoring network, it's a very healthy sign, whatever organisation it is," she said.
"Whether it's a school, university or where I used to work at a Research Institute, mentoring is a sign of a very optimistic and healthy non-toxic environment."