UBC Reports | Vol.
51 | No. 6 |
Jun. 2, 2005
By Brian Lin
Susanne Hille knows choosing a career is no picnic in the
park. The UBC IT Services Executive Director learned the hard
way but is determined to make things easier for young women
like computer science graduate student Micheline Manske.
“As a student, I really struggled with my career options,”
says Hille, who arrived at UBC almost two years ago and immediately
volunteered for the Dept. of Computer Science’s tri-mentoring
program. “I loved mathematics, and took computer science
as an elective and just fell into it as a career, which is
quite common when you’re young and taking those first
uncertain career steps.”
Manske was at a similar crossroad when she met Hille a year
ago. “I had a vague idea that I wanted to combine computer
science with my teaching skills,” says Manske, who will
graduate from UBC this summer. “But I was at a loss
as to what kind of jobs were out there.”
“Micheline was very quiet and uncertain when I first
met her,” recalls Hille. “In her mind, there were
only a few options open to her, and part of my goal was to
help her explore other ideas, even ones that seemed totally
radical to her.
“We often form mental pictures of ourselves and put
up barriers based on those pictures,” says Hille, whose
own mentors inspired her to reach farther than she otherwise
might have. “They helped me to see myself doing things
I didn’t think I could ever do, gave me confidence,
courage and great advice. They made a big difference in my
life.”
Through a series of one-on-one discussions and guided research
with Hille, Manske identified corporate training as an area
of interest, and is now pursuing leads with IBM and educational
institutions in Toronto.
“Learning to network was the hardest part for me,”
says Manske. “But once I got started, I was surprised
at all the opportunities that were open to me.”
“At the program’s official closing dinner, Micheline
walked in and it was as if she was a different person,”
says Hille. “She was buzzing with excitement from the
positive responses she’s received and the many possibilities
she now sees for her career path.
“It’s extremely rewarding to see someone change
her perspectives in that way.”
Manske says the tri-mentoring program is especially popular
with female students. “About 22 per cent of undergraduate
students in computer science are female, but the percentage
of female participants in the tri-mentoring program is much
higher.
“It just shows how important it is to have a strong
female role model,” Manske adds. “I think more
than anything, what I learned from Susanne is that what I
want out of my life and my career is achievable.”
