Take A Moment To #ThankYourMentor by Meg Garlinghouse (NAPSA)—Since transitioning out of the military in 2011, Navy veteran Chad Lozier has had several influential people mentor him BaZanoe at various times in hislife. In fact, he sometimes refers to them as “mentor moments.” “There hasn’t been one specific mentor who transformed me; instead, it has been morelike the right guy (or gal) at the right time,” says Lozier. “This timely and inspirational guidance has helped my career and professional life take off.” Lozier is now paying it forward to other transitioning military members and their families. “I currently teach a free class for veterans to help sharpen their academic skills, but the class comes with much more than curriculum and instruction,” says Lozier. “As a student veteran myself and someone who also transitioned out of the military within thelast five years, I am able to relate and understand much of what they’re going through.” Those of us, like Chad, who’ve had a mentor in our lives are among the lucky ones. A recent study by MENTOR:The National Mentoring Partnership found that one in three young people in the U.S. have never had a mentor of any kind. This is especially disheartening becausetheserelationships can make such real difference for underserved youth. They are 55 percent more likely to enroll in college when they have a mentor, explains David Shapiro, the CEO of MENTOR, and, according to a report from EY/MENTOR,youth with mentors are more likely to be successful in school, more likely to be leaders in their communities and morelikely to enter young adulthood with opportunities for ongoing education and career choices. So if you are one of the lucky ones, take a moment to thank your Navy veteran Chad Lozier and one of his mentors, Eileen Piersa. mentorsfor all they’ve done for you. Maybeit’s a simple phonecall, a status update or a long-form post on LinkedIn (remember to use the hashtag #ThankYourMentor) about how their mentorship impacted you, what form it took, why it mattered and what part of their influence lives on with you today. Then, payit forward by signing up for an opportunity to mentor a young person and help someoneelse achieve his or her career aspirations. You have the opportunity to makea positive impact on the life of an underserved youth, student or rising professional. LinkedIn has teamed up with MENTOR, the unifying champion for expanding quality youth mentoring relationships in the United States, to bring thousands of mentoring opportunities to your fingertips. According to the Points of Light Foundation, mentoring is the No. 1 form of skills-based volunteering—and LinkedIn has the unique resources to connect these oppor- tunities to the 6 million professionals looking for them. Starting today, visit LinkedIn to find a mentorship opportunity and begin makinga difference in thelife of a youngprofessional. LinkedIn for Good is LinkedIn’s social impact arm, focused on connecting professionals (including our employees) with opportunities to impact the world. To learn more, visit https:// linkedinforgood.linkedin.com. Ms. Garlinghouse is head of Social Impact at LinkedIn.
