Sci.STORIES
Interview with the mentee Nastya Tryastsina
Interviewer: Olya Vvedenskaya
Olya: Why did you come to the program? What was your initial motivation?
Nastya: I am a chemistry student at Moscow State University, and I have long had and still have the question of where to work: in science or in industry? There were a lot of unclear points and I wanted to talk to someone who has experience, ideally, in both. The goal was probably, firstly, to understand myself better, and secondly, to understand my goal-setting. And to learn more about foreign graduate schools and internships, so that if I suddenly want to go there, it would be clearer to me how to get there.
O: Did you have any expectations from the program and how much did they coincide with reality? Maybe not at all?
N: I don't know if I had specific expectations, but in general I thought I would have fewer meetings with the mentor than I ended up having. We met a lot and had time to work through a lot of issues.
O: Did you find the program itself useful in any way?
N: Yes, I think the experience of communicating with people from interesting spheres is always useful, and to some extent it was realized with the help of Sci.STEPS program. Unfortunately, I was not fully able to participate in the educational program because I had a very difficult period during the mentoring season.
O: What are you doing professionally right now?
N: Right now I'm doing an industry internship with a company founded by chemistry graduates. At this point, I can say that as a result of participating in the program, I chose industry over academia.
I realized that if there is another season of the program, I would like to participate again as a mentee. I would be able to be fully involved and I think I would get more out of it.
O: What would you gain from participating in the program again?
N: I will find answers to the new questions I got.
O: Finally, what did working with a mentor give you?
N: It was super helpful. We met about once every two weeks, and for each week there was some assignment of what needed to be done and prepared. It helped me a lot that my mentor and I had a structured approach. Overall, I had quite a bit of work experience, but I was also not quite getting my resume right. This was an issue that my mentor and I worked through. As a result of our work together, I realized that I actually had a lot of options of where I could go for internships and what I could do.
About Sci.STEPS
Sci.STEPS scientific mentorship program offers mentees a set of advantages. It provides access to expert knowledge and experience, allowing mentees to learn from scientists who have successfully navigated their fields. The mentorship network provides mentees with a supportive environment to seek advice, share their aspirations, and build professional relationships. Participation in a long-term program or short-term targeted consultations also aid in personal growth, improving essential skills such as critical thinking, communication, and time management. Ultimately, the mentorship program nurtures mentees' scientific passion and equips them with the tools they need to pursue their goals with confidence.Â