To be mentored is to fortify yourself within a community that covers you , carries you up , uplifts and pushes you to the highest ideations of self .”
suicide , knowing that story could have easily been mine , I cannot begin to explain how just the presence and support of a mentor can keep you grounded and secure — a mentor in your corner can be literally life-saving .
The fact is , mentorship is more powerful than people speak about , and as someone who is wholly indebted to her mentors for everything I am , I want to use every platform to bring visibility to it and promote even more of it . To be mentored is to fortify yourself within a community that covers you , carries you up , uplifts and pushes you to the highest ideations of self . In addition , to the specific persons who have held my hand , literally and figuratively , throughout my journey , my supportive community has also been the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority , the Jack & Jill of America Inc , the BOW Collective , and the Blue Route Vineyard Community Church — all organizations that have defined equally important facets of success such as my friendships , my network , and my faith .
However , beyond the personal successes that can come from mentorship , it can and has fostered heightened levels of development , self-awareness and a more purposeful existence . Last year I was blessed to be selected among the PDA ’ s first cohort of students in its Leadership Academy . Through this program , I was assigned two mentors : Drs . Bruce Terry and Bernie Logan ; and I remember how warm and welcomed they made me feel , like I had a voice that mattered , ideas and talents that could make a difference , and that I belonged among the PDA . These mentors infused confidence and ambition to do even more and I woke up in tears after a conversation where they helped me stumble upon my mission to serve my birth country Nigeria .
Throughout my lifetime , I have been blessed to have mentors that kept showing up at the right times and in various ways : to nurture my talents , build my confidence , direct me to resources , push me to aim high , and look for outlets to have an impact that extend beyond myself . Now I have begun to pay it forward by mentoring dental students and junior dentists both here in the USA and Nigeria , and I am always trying to set off ripples that do more than change smiles , but change lives . Just as a ripple spreads across a body of water , what seems a small trivial little touch to start can quickly spread to have wider impacts by setting off a train of thought or a chain of events that stimulates positive action in a person ; and before you know it , a multitude of improved lives can be traced back to the change that emanated from your encouraging word , your embrace , advice , resources , warning , or even a reassuring smile .
Consider becoming a mentor to someone and start creating your own ripples today .
Dr . Silva practices in Collegeville and is a member of Montgomery- Bucks Dental Society . She is a graduate of PDA ’ s inaugural Leadership Academy class .
MARCH / APRIL 2023 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL 19