Mason’s similarities to her mentor Laura go beyond just their passion for graphic design: they were both planning a wedding, enjoy reading, and love Ed Sheeran.
“It was a really cool dynamic we had, and we just connected on a lot of levels,” Mason told of her relationship with Laura.
At 25 years old, Mason is just getting started in her professional journey. Eager to develop her creative skills, she learned of Connecting Champions through her local hospital’s survivorship clinic.
We introduced Mason to Laura, a graphic design manager and friend of our program who assisted in our organizational rebrand a few years back. With her extensive experience in graphic design, Laura was the perfect mentor to guide Mason through the challenges of the creative industry.
“Mason is someone who is ready to tackle the next thing,” Laura said. “She’s definitely someone who is not going to sit still and let things play out. She’s been a very active person her whole life, and I could tell that she had a lot she wanted to accomplish.”
Their video calls focused on various aspects of the graphic design world, including how to create a website, what to include in a portfolio, and how to build a resume. During their calls, the duo also shared a piece of their personal life that was taking up a lot of their free time: wedding planning.
“It was cool because they’re both very artistic people,” Connecting Champions Program Coordinator Laura said. “Laura would tell Mason about how she hand cut invitations and gave Mason some ideas of things she can do for her wedding. It was a fun mix of professional and personal.”
Through their shared connection of being brides-to-be, Mason and Laura would bounce ideas off of one another and pick each other’s brains about all of the intricacies of planning a wedding day.
As Mason’s mentorship with Laura ends and she continues her professional journey, she will have all of the skills and memories that Laura instilled in her during their time together. “Because of Connecting Champions, I am more confident in my design skills,” said Mason. “Before, I felt like I really didn’t know what I was doing when it came to website design. This mentorship made me a lot more confident and really helped me build my skills.”
Through Connecting Champions, Mason gained more than skills—she found a mentor and a friend who helped her unlock her potential. As she steps into the next stage of her journey, Mason carries the confidence and creativity sparked by this transformative partnership.
