Take a Mentor Minute with Zena Lum: February 2026
By: Zena Lum, WOC National Advisory Committee Member and Mentorship Expert
Take a Mentor Minute with Zena Lum is a monthly advice column where Zena imparts expertise to empower mentors and deepen their relationships with their mentees.
I was looking up the history of mentorship, and its origins can be found in Homer’s The Odyssey. Without going down an academic rabbit hole, I learned that Athena, the Goddess of War and Wisdom, appeared in the guise of Mentor, a friend of King Odysseus, to take over the education of Odysseus’ son, Telemachus as the original Mentor proved ineffective in protecting the kingdom.
Interesting that it was a woman, albeit disguised as a man, who is recognized as the first mentor.
WOC’s Check-in Chicas (CiC), a peer-to-peer mentoring and accountability program and Mentor Match (MM), a traditional mentoring program pairing seasoned professionals with emerging professionals, launch this year’s cohorts in March. There is still time to apply to be a Check-in Chica and/or a mentor and/or a mentee (yes, you can have it all!). The application deadline is March 6; apply now via Check-in Chicas and Mentor Match pages.
Thank you for your input! We look forward launching our 2026 MM and CiC cohorts later next month!
Zena Lum
WOC National Advisory Committee Member and Mentorship Expert
