On Thursday, June 15 the WICT New England Chapter held its annual Speed Mentoring event at the Publick House in Sturbridge, MA. The event hosted a cocktail hour prior to the event starting at 6:30. The chapter presented 7 mentors that were eager to sit with the 53 attendees to offer words of wisdom on a multitude of topics that included career paths, work/life balance and dealing with tough situations.

In speaking with the mentors, each gave a completely different perspective and career path. While they each had a different path, they gave consistent advice on how persistence eventually lead to their success. Tina Thornton, SR VP at ESPN gave an inspiring story of how she became someone’s boss overnight and how the pressure didn’t shake her confidence. Stacey Fitch, VP at ESPN described how staff members directly impacted change in her department in regards to time off and work/life balance. Lisa Yarussi, VP at NESN reflected on her career and how change in her field impacted the direction of her path in Human Resources.

At the end of the evening, the conversations at each table flowed over to a quick one on one discussions that wrapped up thoughts or questions attendees had that they may not have been able to ask each mentor.