After weeks of spending countless hours brooding over the curriculum for Mentoring at the Library, an exciting college and career readiness initiative in partnership with  My Brother’s Keeper Alliance that will launch in late October, I’ve finally landed on the theme for the first month of the program: “What does it mean to tell a great story?” This theme is perfect! After all, the Library is full of great stories and people who have great stories to tell. So, when given the opportunity to speak with Terrance Neal, Director of Employee Relations & Talent Acquisition, about his journey as a mentee and mentor, I jumped at the chance to hear one of them. As a new employee with NYPL, I knew I was in for a treat when I found out that he has been working at the Library for 23 years! In my millennial world, 23 years in the same department, in the same place is impressive and indicative of the impact that mentoring must have had on his career. I hope that stories like Terry's will result from the monthly mentoring sessions that will soon take place at Mott Haven and 96th Street this fall.

Terry started his journey at NYPL at age 18, working as a page in the Human Resources department. He credits his mentor, Priscilla, with steering him in a different direction from studying radiology to becoming interested in a fulfilling career in human resources and labor relations. “I wasn’t on the wrong path, but I wasn’t on the best path either,” says Terry, as he reflects on how his mentor took him from “good to great.” He acknowledges what a gift mentorship has been over the years and how the pivotal conversations shared between him and other mentors have been instrumental in shaping his success. To pay it forward, Terry incorporates what he has learned about mentorship in his daily interactions in the classroom with his students at Baruch College and at NYPL with his team. He promises them that he will, “lead you to the deepest parts of the ocean, but he won’t leave you there.” That’s what true mentorship is. It’s the relationship between two individuals that challenges the mentee to enter into unfamiliar territory—that the mentor knows all too well—for the mentee to discover their own strength and ability to be great.

Soon, Mott Haven Library and 96th Street Library will buzz with great storytelling about conquering job interviews, climbing the corporate ladder, and slaying the team project dragon as told by corporate mentors. High school students in this program stand to gain experience honing the effective communication skills that one must have in order to write a succinct cover letter, format a cohesive resume, and essentially open the door to successful college enrollment and career opportunities. This will only be possible with the commitment of caring adults who are willing to share their inspiring stories. When former President Obama launched the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative in 2014 he recalled some of the moments that took him from good to great by saying, “I had some people who cared enough about me to give me a second chance, or a third chance, or give me a little guidance when I needed it, or to open up a door that might otherwise have been closed. I was lucky.”

Will you share your great story? NYPL is seeking to recruit 40–60 corporate mentors to join students once a month starting in late October and ending in May. If storytelling is missing from your daily agenda, consider applying to Mentor at the Library.