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By Brhea Washington
One good mentor can impact many lives. Passion, commitment, wisdom—a mentor with these qualities can inspire future generations of scientists and strengthen entire communities.
Maryam Foroozesh, PhD, is one such mentor.
Foroozesh has been a prominent figure on Xavier University of Louisiana’s campus. A professor of chemistry and XULA BUILD’s Administrative and Research Enrichment Core Director, Foroozesh also serves as the lead Principal Investigator (PI) of the XULA BUILD program, also known as Project Pathways.
A mentor to almost 100 students throughout her career of 28 years in academia, Foroozesh said she cherishes each student for whom she has provided guidance, as her love for working with students adds value to her enjoyment of mentoring.
Where does her inspiration for mentoring come from? Foroozesh said that it comes from seeing the evidence of how she has impacted her students’ lives and knowing that she has made a difference.
“When I see my students and colleagues succeed, that inspires me. It really makes me happy when what I have shared with them has helped in some way,” Foroozesh said.
“I’ve had many students come back and visit years after they have left who stop by just to say hi. They show up with their families and are now successful. Some decide after getting their degree to go into teaching, medicine, science, or other fields, but in every case, seeing that they have found what makes them happy is really inspiring.”
Going on 27 years at XULA, Foroozesh considers her most valued accomplishment to be having served as a research advisor and mentor to over 97 underrepresented undergraduate students at the university. The vast majority of her mentees continued their education toward graduate or professional degrees. She has also served as a mentor to junior faculty members, research associates, and post-baccalaureate technicians.
Foroozesh emphasized the importance of showing care to mentees, which she sees as an integral and significant component of mentorship.
“Mentoring is not something that can be forced,” Foroozesh said. “Our hearts have to be in it. We need to care about the success of our mentees.”
Foroozesh finds that her openness with her mentees helps strengthen her mentorship connections because she shows them that they are not alone.
“When you open up to your mentees, they see you more as a person,” Foroozesh said. “When I talk to students and share, for example, that ‘I had the same problem,’ or ‘I had problems understanding a topic, but I got through it,’ mentees learn they can also deal with the roadblocks.”
“No one gets to where they are comfortably or easily. We don’t all have the same lives or issues, and we all have bumps in the road. We have differences, and you can’t expect to always completely understand what another person is feeling or what their situation is. However, you can certainly try by showing them that you care.”
Foroozesh said the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has presented unforeseen challenges as a mentor. Labs can’t be filled with students because of social distancing, and less face-to-face interactions with students make it hard to mentor them directly.
However, she is more than determined to make it work and finds ways to stay connected with her mentees.
“I mentor them through different ways such as regularly communicating through email, zoom, and with XULA BUILD lab associates to see how students are doing and how they are progressing towards graduation,” she said.
Foroozesh said training mentors helps equip mentors to work through challenges and feels fortunate to have mentor training programs such as Project Pathways and its associated Preparing Mentors and Advisors at Xavier (P-MAX) program on campus. P-MAX is a mentor training program tailored to Xavier mentors and advisors that provides the skills needed to mentor and advise students.
Foroozesh said these programs continue to help strengthen and build her mentoring skills, even as a seasoned mentor.
“The training has been extremely helpful and I have attended it almost every year because each time, I’ve learned something new,” Foroozesh said. “Someone will say something you may have never thought of, and it helps you not to forget what your responsibilities are as a mentor… the mentor training program reminds me how to be a better mentor.”
Mentoring is not just a transformative experience for the mentee. Foroozesh has also learned many significant life lessons along the way that she continues to carry with her.
“I learned to take the responsibility of mentoring very seriously and to understand the impact that a mentor can have on their mentee,” Foroozesh said. “I’ve also learned the importance of focusing on what I can do for others and how I can be helpful to them.”
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Throughout her mentorship experiences, Foroozesh has also learned many significant life lessons along the way that she continues to carry with her.
“I learned to take the responsibility of mentoring very seriously and to understand the impact that a mentor can have on their mentee. I’ve also learned the importance of focusing on what I can do for others and how I can be helpful to them,” said Foroozesh.
