Be a Mentor–No Training Required

There are no advanced degrees or specialized training needed to become a mentor.

Each year, scores of CSC employees serve as mentors, and the company supports and encourages their efforts. CSC’s purpose is to create an environment where its people, partners, customers, and communities will be better off tomorrow than they are today. The company is built on people and the relationships that are forged, not just between employees and clients, but with the communities in which employees work and live. Two of those employees making an impact in the community are Monica Melendez and Caitlin Hartzel.

Monica and Caitlin both mentor students at Eastside Charter School in Wilmington, Delaware. They work with younger children, mostly third- and fourth-graders, and usually see their mentees for about 45 minutes a week or every other week. “You have to have a willingness to really listen, be patient, and try to talk to them as much as you can. I wouldn’t say you necessarily need training for that. It’s just a willingness to be there and be present for them,” says Monica, who has worked at CSC for more than seven years. She’s a team leader for the Database Hygiene Team in the Marketing Department.

Monica’s young mentees “have their own feelings and personalities and have things they need to get off their chest. They have really big emotions and things they need help in understanding. If I can provide a little bit of guidance and a little bit of wisdom, it means a lot to me.”

“CSC is really involved with Eastside. There’s a large group of employees who mentor weekly,” says Caitlin, who has worked at CSC for six years as an instructional designer in the HR Department. “Technology leaders have presented about women in technology, and another group met with students to help them manage different projects. The employees who participate love doing it, but knowing that CSC supports us makes it an even better experience,” she says.

Watching a mentee grow and develop are some of the benefits both Monica and Caitlin have experienced. “You may think you’re making only a small difference,” says Monica. “But it’s something they’ll remember for a long time.”

“This is my third year mentoring, and sometimes I feel like I get even more out of it than the students,” says Caitlin. “There are huge benefits for mentees and mentors, and I’m so proud I get to be a part of their lives, even if it’s only for a short time.”

Every year, CSC employees spend thousands of hours working toward causes that are most important to them, a program the company calls CSC Gives Back. CSC supports these efforts by ensuring employees have the time and resources to contribute to programs that matter to them. To learn more about CSC’s philanthropic work, visit cscglobal.com/service/csc/csc-gives-back.