Career Discovery Mentoring Program featuring mentor Adry Awan

Mentoring a UNSW student is a powerful way to use the knowledge learned on your career journey to guide someone starting out on their professional path. The Career Discovery Mentoring Program is one way to showcase what you’ve learned and inspire others to succeed.

How does mentoring work?

Through the Career Discovery Mentoring Program, you’ll be partnered with a current UNSW student. You will become part of a bigger, connected and supportive UNSW alumni and student network.

Sharing your experiences can also bring fresh clarity and renewed purpose, helping you grow as a leader, communicator and listener. 

A Career Discovery Mentoring Program spotlight feature – Adry Awan

Over the years, Adry Awan has been a mentor to eight students. We sat down with Adry to find out more about what drives him to return to the Program year after year.

What inspired you to become a UNSW alumni mentor?

What first inspired me to become a UNSW alumni mentor was the recognition that so much of my personal and professional development came from friends, colleagues, or managers I had who generously shared their experiences and advice and helped me navigate key decisions in my life and career. I found learning from and being guided by these people so enriching that I wanted to pay that experience forward.

What has kept you committed to mentoring with UNSW over the long term? 

I feel it is an unbelievable privilege to be part of the UNSW community and work with our students as they begin to chart their path forward to graduation and beyond. Seeing the student mentees find their spark and continue to cultivate their passions, both inside and outside the classroom, is a thrill.

In what ways has mentoring shaped you professionally?

I’m fortunate to have had many mentors over the course of my own career. I’ll often lean on these mentors for advice and encouragement whenever I have a complex project I need to deliver. During these situations, I remind myself of something one of my mentors, a lovely colleague named Jo, once said to me early in my career:

“It always seems impossible until it’s done!”

I often share this expression with my own mentees, as a reminder that big goals or challenges always seem overwhelming right before they are achieved.

Since becoming a mentors myself, I now place even more focus now on the value of empathy, curiosity, and lifelong learning. I also ensure that with the teams that I work with or people that I lead, I continuously nurture the environment they need to succeed and create opportunities for their growth.

Can you share a moment or experience with a mentee that had a lasting impact on you?

The moments that have had a lasting impact on me are when I’ve had the pleasure of joining my mentees at their graduation. I’ve had the honour of celebrating with two of my mentees at their grads – Stefan, when he graduated in 2023 and Chloe, who graduated earlier this year in March. As a UNSW alumnus myself, I am equally proud to welcome and stand alongside them in our global alumni community.

What would you say to someone who is considering becoming a mentor?

Being an effective mentor is about being willing to listen, sharing openly and honestly and having the time to help our students realise the unlimited potential they have in themselves. It’s not about being the most experienced person in the room or having all the answers.