Take advantage of these opportunities. Don't wait for them to come to you. When you've established your mentoring relationship or targeted your set of initial contacts, be sure to follow up. Often faculty members have competing deadlines and lots of responsibilities. Don't get discouraged if you don't get an immediate reply.
Persistence pays off.
Come up with a strategy for how you see your education, future and professional goals and make a specific action plan. That way, when you talk with faculty, you can orient them to your goals and they can offer suggestions and guidance, and in some cases even play an active role in helping you achieve your plans. These nurses now not only have an affiliation that provides them with professional and personal benefits, they've also formed a local support system. By staying connected, Mary Lou helps ensure that the School of Nursing and the University of Washington's resources are accessible to an important community of minority health professionals. Another example of Mary Lou's mentoring of current School of Nursing students is Sergio Olivares, a student in our Ph.D. program.