Mentorship is about providing support, guidance, and inspiration to help mentees uncover their potential and forge meaningful, rewarding paths that lead to enlightenment, growth, fulfillment, and happiness.
The Directorate of Student Mentorship and Parent Relations at Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu, was established in March 2022 to coordinate mentorship for students and serve as a bridge between the university community and parents. Our role involves disseminating relevant information and addressing parents’ concerns, ensuring a seamless connection that fosters trust and collaboration.
We continuously explore innovative ways to enrich our students’ university experience. While we initially launched a university-wide mentorship programme, in 2024, our visionary Vice-Chancellor proposed a more tailored approach: assigning mentors to students based on their academic levels. This forward-thinking suggestion prompted the directorate to carefully select mentors with diverse strengths and expertise to match the unique needs of our students.
Earlier today, a group of male students visited my office seeking mentorship. One of them asked, “Ma, what is mentorship all about?” I began by explaining that mentorship is a vital support system that everyone needs at some point. It is about finding people who will listen, provide guidance, and help us navigate challenges. The GOUNI Mentorship Programme is designed to offer students the support they need to excel academically, grow personally, and establish meaningful connections with the wider community.
As I spoke, the students listened intently and soon realized the immense value of this service, generously provided by the university and dedicated mentors. These mentors, despite their demanding schedules, selflessly give their time to guide and nurture others—a true act of love and sacrifice.
Later, as some mentors shared photos of themselves with their mentees, it became clear to me that this programme had birthed new families. Each mentorship family represents a connection built on mutual support and a commitment to ensuring success. For me, this is a profound opportunity to plant seeds of positivity and resilience in the lives of our students—seeds that will help them blossom into the best versions of themselves.
This is more than mentorship; it is service to humanity, with far-reaching effects that transcend time. I remain deeply committed to this cause because it aligns with my purpose: to champion true humanity and foster transformation in the lives of others.
Lady Jane Kalu Ndukwe
Director, Student Mentorship and Parent Relations
Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu.
