Vilma Petrikaite “No one is as committed to you as a mentor”
Vilma is a scientist and a BAFF alumna who did her Research Scholar term in The Houston Methodist Research Institute from 2014-2015. She is now the head of the Preclinical Research Center at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences where she researches the biological activity of chemical and natural substances, drug delivery in 2D and 3D cell cultures, and analyzes microenvironments of tumors. She also supervises Bachelor, Master, and Ph.D. students’ thesis and recently added mentoring to the mix.
How did you decide to try mentoring in the BAFF Alumni Mentorship Program?
First of all I was missing a bit of connection with BAFF. I had no previous experience with mentoring, but I was used to being a supervisor, so I thought I’d sign up. As a scientist, I’m always looking for new experiences and opportunities to learn, so I figured why not try and help somebody else, from outside my own lab? Maybe this new experience would be something I could adapt somewhere else and also improve myself in the process.
Did you have any doubts when starting out?
Of course! Our first meeting with my mentee was terrifying, as I didn’t know what Aiste’s expectations would be. Unlike supervising, which I’m used to, mentoring requires presenting different opportunities, so I was a little insecure. But then we spoke with Aiste about what she wanted, I gave her some small tasks. And she always came back with more questions. I saw her progress and that gave me confidence. Her questions were related to her future career in science and during our mentoring relationship I saw her starting to participate in conferences, writing pieces etc. So I knew we were on the right track, just by watching her progress.
Have you had a mentor yourself?
My mentors have been the people around me, everyone I’ve met – colleagues, friends, and family. There is something to learn from everyone. I said that to my mentee as well: don’t just listen to your mentor, observe everything that surrounds you, because only you yourself can recognize what’s best for you! You don't have to follow the rules of protocol. As a scientist, I always like protocols because everything is clear. But even if you follow protocols, the experiment may not be successful. This is also valuable information because it shows you have to think deeper, see behind the protocol and understand what’s really happening. Maybe you have to change something? Maybe the proposed solution is not suitable at all in your situation!
What do you see as the benefits of this near-peer mentoring method, where the mentor may be just a few years ahead of their mentee?
I think since we’re closer in age, we can understand each other’s challenges better because there’s not such a big gap since I’ve had these questions myself. And when we had joint sessions online, I myself had the chance to learn from other mentors and mentees. People had such different goals – some very long-term and general like which career to choose, some very specific like how to advance in their work or graduate from school… I saw the different approaches of other mentors and it gave me an invaluable perspective of mindsets different from my own.
Why do you think having a mentor is useful?
I realized that although I can have great supportive people in my life, no one is ever as committed to me as a mentor. The BAFF Mentorship program was so structured when in real life it’s quite rare to stumble upon a supervisor who really puts effort into furthering your career or personal development. The people close to you, on the other hand, try to keep you safe, so they may not offer too much perspective. But someone from the outside can be the best at reflecting and also objectively challenging you. Although by the end of the program we also felt like family (laughs).
What did you gain from this experience?
One of the biggest values is always the new relationships you develop. In this case, they were really comfortable ones because we shared a lot and felt free to be ourselves. I also learned a lot – how to be a better supervisor, and apply mentoring elements to my students. As one of our topics with Aiste was creating a satisfying career, I also got to look back, analyze and reconsider my own choices, which was very insightful. So I felt was helping myself as well along the process.
Aiste Jurkonyte is a Leadership Academy alumna from 2018 and is now a medical student in Vilnius University.
““Vilma was my mentor last year. It was an amazing experience right from the beginning. Actually, she was my 1st choice from the mentor list, it was a great surprise when I found out it was vice versa. We had monthly meetings which were full of interesting conversations and thoughtful insights that shaped my future goals. After the mentorship program, I gained even more motivation to pursue a scientific career. I can’t recommend enough a mentorship program and if someone gets Vilma as a mentor - lucky them!””
The BAFF Alumni Mentorship Program is accepting applications until September 18. The program is designed exclusively for BAFF alumni. Find more information and sign up on the BAFF website.