Being an SLM Mentor is incredibly easy and perplexingly difficult at the same time. What could be simpler than grabbing a cup of coffee with a smart, gregarious, self-assured young person? Taking an hour or two to talk about everything and anything that’s on your mind? Easy, right? Well, beneath the tips of our conversations lie icebergs of issues fraught with need and frustration. How we address these issues, delicately, slowly, chipping away over time and building trust is what makes our relationship so tricky and yet so rewarding as time rolls by. It’s all about “showing up,” providing persistent guidance and forming an unrelenting friendship – and like all true friendships, it’s a two way street, as our time spent together making lurching progress enriches us both in profound and often unexpected ways.