Expanding Professional Networks, Creating Friendships and Building a Stronger Community

As PINs association Hispanotech looks forward to the fourth year of its mentorship program, Gabriel Sorozabal, who led the launch of the program in 2015, talks about why he wanted to start the program and the journey so far.

I always thought of a mentor as someone who helps you achieve or exceed your life’s goals and aspirations. It can be formal or informal, but they all share a common ground – to listen to, guide, coach and motivate you. They are also a friend, a voice of reason and an emotional support.

I was fortunate to have many mentors in my life, who helped me to become who I am today. They shared their experiences and helped me see and develop a better version of myself. My mentors were instrumental in helping me choose my career path and in coming to Canada in 2001 to build a new future for myself and my family.

After moving to Canada, I started working for a small company fixing computers, robotic arms, and working with enterprise storage systems. To stay up to date, I went back to school and completed my certifications. The following year, I became a Project Manager, and a few years later, I was promoted to Director. During this time, I was also introduced to Hispanotech, an association in TRIEC’s PINs program who help Latin-American IT professionals connect with their careers in Canada.

Four years ago, Jose-Luis Otero, who introduced me to Hispanotech, approached me about launching a mentoring program at Hispanotech. They had tried to do so before but were unsuccessful with previous attempts. Using my experience as a multiple-time mentor with PMI, we decided to start a new mentoring program that would bring value to our members, by connecting our old and new members, create new friendships and help them expand their professional network.

We wanted to have a short but intensive program where goals and progress could be objectively measured. We had the ideas but we needed the structure to start, and here is where TRIEC was the key and instrumental to our success. They provided us with knowledge, guidelines, and resources from the TRIEC Mentoring Partnership program, and with a venue to have our group meetings.

The first year we started with nine matches, with a three month duration. We achieved 45% of our target in the duration of the program and 66% over the following six months. Since then, we have doubled registration for the program every year. In 2017, we had over 140 people registered for the program. As our program matured, we added a recognition and development points system for our mentors, where you could progressively reach the super mentor and hall of fame status.

We have also increased our collaboration and partnerships for the program. In 2017, we had three organizations join the program. In the upcoming year, there will be five organizations collaborating together.

There is no better feeling and reward than knowing we have contributed in a little way to improve someone’s life, helping them achieve their potential and making our community stronger. Through the mentoring program, we expand our professional networks, create friendships, and create a better future for each of us.

Find out more about Hispanotech on the PINs Directory – https://triec.ca/pins/directory/hispanotech-ca/

You can also read what Ana Peniche, a mentee in the program, had to share about her experience – https://triec.ca/pins/success_story/ana-peniche-advancing-to-success/