Power To Change Lives Through Mentorship

By Janet Phan

Janet Phan is the Founder & Director of Thriving Elements, and a Global Technology Consultant in Zurich, Switzerland.

Janet Phan is the Founder & Director of Thriving Elements, and a Global Technology Consultant in Zurich, Switzerland.

I am where I am today because of my mentors who created access and opportunities. When I came to this realization, it hit me hard. I needed to be the person that helped pave the way for others so their path to success can be easier than mine. 

My parents were refugees from Vietnam, I worked 10+ hour shifts at fast food joints to pay the bills, I was living paycheck to paycheck and living out of my car. If I could become a global technology consultant, published author and travel the world with the odds stacked against me (but with a helping hand from mentors) how many others could I help myself?

But I didn't just want to do it by becoming a mentor, I wanted my reach to expand far beyond myself -- global even. 

When I thought about how I got to where I am, I couldn’t help but give the credit to my mentors who believed in me and took a chance on me. As a result, Thriving Elements was born. I started a nonprofit to address the lack of women, particularly BIPOC women, in STEM through the best way I knew how — mentoring.

Today Thriving Elements is a successful nonprofit that replicates the quality mentoring I received and scales it to reach as many underserved, underrepresented girls as possible who are interested in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM). We have matched dozens of mentor-mentee pairs. While mentorship is key to a successful future, the most important aspect is for mentees to be the driver of the mentoring relationship.

““If I could become a global technology consultant, published author and travel the world with the odds stacked against me (but with a helping hand from mentors) how many others could I help myself? As a result, Thriving Elements was born. @janettphan09 #PowerToChangeStories” ”
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