Mentorship Spotlight: Meet the New Mentorship Ambassadors

Starting medical school is a thrilling yet challenging journey, filled with new expectations, pressures, and opportunities. Mentorship plays a key role in providing support, cultivating community, and helping students build the skills and confidence needed to succeed in both medical school and beyond.

The Office of Career Advising & Mentorship (OCAM) is excited to introduce our new mentorship ambassadors, second-year medical students who will be joining our senior mentorship ambassador, a fourth-year student, to support and inform OCAM's programming for the 2024-2025 academic year. These ambassadors are committed to leading and enhancing our mentorship programs and providing guidance to their peers as they navigate the challenges of medical school.

“Mentorship fosters a collaborative environment where individuals are able to develop meaningful, reciprocal relationships with one another,” says Lauren Fraess. As the Senior Mentorship Ambassador, Lauren has made it her goal to create a supportive and open space where students feel comfortable discussing everything from academics to mental health and wellbeing.   

Lauren, a fourth-year medical student in Regina, has been a dedicated student liaison with the OCAM since 2022, helping lead and support our mentorship programming. She’s played a key role in initiatives like integrating Mentorship Awards into the SMSS Fall Formal. Behind the scenes, she’s spent countless hours matching students with the best possible upper-year peer mentors, meticulously sorting through spreadsheets to ensure everyone finds their best fit. As the senior ambassador, Lauren continues to encourage strong relationships and create a supportive community for her peers.

For Lauren, mentorship is about more than just giving advice—it’s about building the professional and interpersonal skills that students will carry into their medical careers. “At the end of the day, we’re all going to be colleagues. It is essential that we learn how to develop professional, reciprocal relationships within medical school so that we may continue to use these skills into our practice.”

Sanskriti Shrestha believes deeply in the power of mentorship to create connections that foster both personal and professional growth. “I became a mentorship ambassador because I believe in the profound impact that mentorship connections have on both mentees and mentors,” she says. Her goal is to facilitate these relationships, allowing students to share experiences and seek guidance in a supportive environment.

In Sanskriti’s view, mentorship in medical school is essential not only for academic success but for building a collaborative and resilient community. “By building connections with their mentors and mentees, students can develop relationships that promote collaboration, which will benefit them as colleagues in the future.”

Lan He was inspired to become a mentorship ambassador after experiencing firsthand the support her mentors provided during her first year of medical school. “The transition was tough, but with the help of my mentors, I felt supported and heard,” she explains. Now, Lan is dedicated to facilitating similar experiences for new students through initiatives like peer-led review sessions in study cafés.

“Small things can be more meaningful to someone else than you think,” says Lan. She recalls how her mentor, Rachel Silverberg, would check in before exams or simply offer a few words of encouragement. These small acts of kindness played a significant role in helping Lan navigate the challenges of medical school. “Mentorship’s role in building community is that it creates trusting relationships between peers that have gone through similar experiences. By creating an environment of trust and security between mentees and mentors, mentorship builds community.”

Anas Arwini is passionate about helping others grow and develop, which is why he was eager to become a mentorship ambassador. “The mentorship program is a great avenue to explore how upper year students, with their wealth of personal experiences, can support those earlier in their medical journey,” he explains. Anas believes that mentorship is about more than just academic advice—it’s about being approachable, empathetic, and creating a sense of community where students feel supported.

“Mentorship helps set the stage and makes that first step in getting to know others less intimidating,” Anas adds. “It’s valuable to know someone in the upper years who can help you feel connected and supported.”

“I was inspired to become a mentorship ambassador because of my experiences as a mentee that have further affirmed and guided my journey in becoming a physician,” Davidson Fadare shares. Davidson is particularly interested in helping students connect with mentors who can guide them in ways that are unique to their individual goals and needs.

Reflecting on his own mentor, Davidson credits his brother for being a constant source of advice and perspective. “My biggest takeaway from our interactions is that taking time to recharge is just as important as effort and persistence. Taking time to recharge will help generate fresh perspectives and resilience during challenging periods.”

For Davidson, mentorship is key to both personal and professional development. “Mentorship helps medical students feel connected, motivated, and valued as part of the medical community, making a difference not just academically but emotionally.”

Inspired by her own mentor who "exudes warmth and excels at connecting with others," Laeken Kinch chose to become a mentorship ambassador to share those qualities with her peers. She aims to promote the positive impacts of mentorship, particularly in building connections and nurturing a sense of community. “My mentor, Zoey Bourgeois, always reminded me that things are often ‘not that deep,’” Laeken shares, reflecting on how Zoey’s calm, reassuring presence helped her navigate the stresses of medical school.

For Laeken, mentorship is about providing a strong support system, especially during a time that can be both stressful and humbling. “Mentorship bridges the gaps within the medical community that can be divided by different levels of medical and life experiences.”

For Kishore, becoming a mentorship ambassador was a chance to give back to a program that had a meaningful impact on him. “The mentorship opportunities here at the College of Medicine at USask present amazing opportunities to learn and grow from peer leaders. This is an aspect of our program that I wanted to play a role in continuing to grow, so I am hoping that in this role, I can inspire people to enroll in the opportunities we have available,” he shares.

Reflecting on his own experience, Kishore recalls a mentor from his graduate studies who made an impact not just by focusing on academic goals, but by supporting his personal aspirations as well. “It is important to remember that people who we work with or mentor have their own dreams and goals that may be unrelated to project we are working on, but we should still do our best to support these aspirations.”

Our mentorship ambassadors are here to build relationships that extend far beyond academics.  Whether it’s through one-on-one connections or group events, these ambassadors are excited to help make medical students’ journeys through medical school more connected and supported.

Keep an eye out for upcoming blog posts highlighting our mentors and mentees and for events and opportunities to connect with the mentorship ambassadors.