case studies
"Naomi's mentoring was amazing. She motivated me to follow my dream and didn't let me forget that while work can be hard, it's not a reason to give up."
Journalist and researcher Alec Bertina began mentoring in 2019 while doing his BA in international relations. He progressed to the MA in international security but left university unemployed and got demotivated. However, with mentoring, journalism continually emerged as a natural fit. Soon his online posts turned into articles for Grey Dynamics, CTC Sentinel, Nos.News, Taggespiel, Unherd and Militant Wire. Within six months, he had a featured slot on CNBC. The mentoring gave him educated advice on the industry and the encouragement to keep going.
When Adnan came to me, he was feeling frustrated with his performance in A-level Philosophy. His learning style wasn’t being met in school, and his grades reflected this struggle, averaging at a C. At the same time, he was beginning to consider his career options, which only added more pressure on him.
In Year 12, Adnan took the proactive step of engaging in early career planning and mentoring. He explored apprenticeships, potential degrees, and attended work experience opportunities, alongside online webinars on CV building and personal branding. This shift in focus helped him gain clarity on his future and fuelled his motivation to succeed.
With tutoring support on essay writing, content mastery, and revision strategies, Adnan’s academic performance began to improve. But the real breakthrough came when his growing sense of ambition aligned with his academic goals. This newfound clarity and drive led him to excel in both school and self-confidence.
By the time his A-level results came in, Adnan had achieved all A’s, surpassing his expectations. This success not only opened up new degree options but also gave him the confidence to pursue the path that truly resonated with his future aspirations.
History, UCL
"The future can be daunting and you helped lift a huge weight off my shoulders. Throughout the whole process, you were passionate and interested in my concerns, but most of all, thank you for believing in me!"
Anastasia and I met when she a GCSE student and very under-confident about her professional ambitions compared with her friends. Everyone wanted to be doctors or lawyers and she felt inadequate because she didn’t. However, what transpired early on in the sessions was that her resistance to follow the mould of more traditional career paths was in fact due to her intellectual originality and love of writing. Consequently, we began to develop this interest by looking at the media, which culminated in the publication of a number of articles. She ended up getting 41/45 at IB, a gold award at her school for academic merit, and an unconditional offer to UCL, her first-choice university. The mentoring helped her believe in her unique abilities and her academic performance soared as a result.