GWA Learns: Building Bridges Through Mentorship
Mentoring is more than advice; it’s a bridge between experience and ambition, between those who have walked the road and those beginning the journey. Mentoring can happen at every stage—among peers, across career levels, and between generations—its direction adapting to fit each partnership. From January to June 2025, Global Women Asia piloted GWA Learns, a two-tier mentoring program centered on select GWA 2023 and 2024 Fellows, connecting volunteer advisors with fellows and with university students who were part of the Foundness Hatch Accelerator program. With the expert guidance of Nina Kubik-Cheng, an international business executive and a certified coach, we explored how structured mentorship can accelerate learning and leadership at every career stage.
Why Mentoring Matters
For Fellows as Mentees, Advisors offered a space for clarity, confidence, and honest reflection. One shared, “I’m seeking a coach to help me grow beyond my current business models… I want to push myself, stay excited, and discover new opportunities.” Another noted, “Learning from a female mentor helps provide a holistic mentoring experience, not focused only on business but on life planning.”
For Fellows as Mentors, guiding students was equally transformative. “I like to hear new ideas from people younger and smarter than me… I can share insights in US-China relations, geopolitics, and tech,” said one fellow. Another reflected, “I hope to guide students by sharing career insights, offering resume and networking advice, and encouraging personal growth.”
For Advisors as Mentors, the motivation came from a strong desire to give back to the community that shaped them. “I have so many valuable mentors in my life that have gotten me where I am — I would love to give back,” one advisor said. Another shared, “It’s about creating a connection where my experiences, both victories and struggles, can help shape someone else’s path.”
How the Program Worked — and What We Hoped to Achieve
The pilot program brought together three interconnected groups: volunteer advisors, GWA Fellows, and university students. Fellows stepped into a dual role—receiving coaching from Advisors while mentoring students. Pairings were based on shared goals, domain expertise, and availability, with flexibility for each relationship to take its own shape.
Before the program began, fellows set goals for coaching, ranging from career strategy and scaling ventures to leadership skills and work-life balance. For example, one focused on “tech entrepreneurship, deep tech investing, APAC, and global expansion for Chinese companies.”
When mentoring students, fellows spoke to their eagerness to give back while learning from the next generation. “To empower next generations and possibly find top talent for internships or joining the team,” was a common sentiment. Advisors shared that same generosity, with one saying simply, “Hope I can inspire, help.”
Post-Program Learnings: What We Learned from the First Cohort
For Fellows in the mentee role, the program delivered practical guidance, fresh perspectives, and a safe space for open conversation. Many valued having mentors who understood their industries and could offer both big-picture direction and tactical advice. “The mentor selection was great… I appreciated that it was a safe space where I could trust to have open discussions about my career planning,” one participant shared.
As mentors to students, Fellows found the experience deeply rewarding and energizing. They spoke of exchanging ideas across generations, gaining fresh perspectives, and seeing tangible growth in their mentees. “Helpful new perspectives and practical approaches to questions that I have,” one noted, capturing a shared feeling that the learning flowed both ways.
Advisors also reflected on the inspiration they drew from working with Fellows, praising their preparation and drive. Many appreciated the chance to engage with real challenges and meaningful goals, and to see their mentees put new insights into action.
Improvements for the Next Cohort
The first GWA Learns cohort surfaced valuable ways to strengthen future programs. Participants emphasized the importance of clarity, structure, and stronger touchpoints throughout the mentoring journey.
Refining the matching process to better align mentors and mentees by industry expertise and specific challenges.
Provide a clear program outline with expectations, outcomes, and commitments from both mentors and mentees to fully engage.
Hosting a kick-off gathering (virtual or in-person) to connect the wider cohort and set a collaborative tone.
Creating shared resources such as best-practice templates, session agendas, and a common space for ongoing peer learning.
Ensuring clear commitment from both mentors and mentees to attend and fully engage in scheduled sessions.
Program advisor and certified coach Nina Kubik-Cheng reinforced these priorities, noting, “Clarity from the very start is essential — both in how we define mentoring and in helping mentees articulate what they hope to gain. This makes matching more accurate and truly mentee-driven.” She also suggested establishing simple agreements between mentors and mentees to ensure sessions take place, and creating a clear process with documented timelines and milestones so every participant has a consistent, well-structured experience from start to finish.
These refinements, along with more structured onboarding, resource sharing, and community touchpoints, will help GWA Learns grow into an even stronger platform for intergenerational learning and leadership development.
Mentorship in GWA Learns proved to be a two-way street. It’s a meeting place where guidance sparks growth, pairing lived experience with fresh perspective, and creating a shared community where ideas are exchanged, challenges are met, and confidence is built. This first GWA Learns cohort showed that mentorship is not just about guidance; it’s about building a learning community that spans generations and geographies. The pilot proved that trust, flexibility, and thoughtful pairings are central to impact. We thank our advisors, fellows, and students for their trust, energy, and insight, and we look forward to shaping the next chapter of learning together.
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