Thousands mentors and mentees are matched every year in TRIEC Mentoring Partnership. Ahmeed and Carine came together at a huge networking event where 150 newcomer professionals met their RBC mentors for the first time in Toronto at RBC Water Park Place on January 25th. The following is a story of their mentoring journey that RBC published online recently.

Meet Ahmeed and Carine: When you’re uncomfortable, you’re doing something right 

This past November, Ahmeed Afolabi immigrated to Canada with his wife and 18 months twins (a boy and a girl) from Nigeria where he worked as a tax specialist for a multinational bank. Ahmeed is navigating the different world of Canadian taxes to help him build his experience in this specialized field. “When you’re uncomfortable, you’re doing something right,” he eloquently says of his job search experience so far.

His mentor is Carine Kouamen, Manager, Compliance, RBC. This is Carine’s first time as a mentor through the TRIEC mentorship program with RBC. Compared to Ahmeed, she feels that when she first came to Canada, she didn’t fully take advantage of any services or resources, as Ahmeed is. This shows how “hungry” and determined Ahmeed is to successfully settle in Canada. She praises him for his approach to his settlement and hopes he can learn from her experience navigating her settlement all on her own.

They meet in-person once a week to discuss the mentee’s goals and work through specific items that are immediately relevant to the mentee, like going through a mock interview in preparation for a real interview or discussing their learnings from attending a networking event.

“I feel like I have already grown,” states Ahmeed. “Ultimately, I want this mentorship to help me land a meaningful job but all of the things we’re working on make me feel like I am meant to be here [in Canada].”

TRIEC Mentoring Partnership is a proven way to help newcomers expand their professional network and understand the local labour market, and support organizations to become more inclusive like RBC.  Learn how to become an employer partner with us. Or apply to become a mentor today.

 

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