Mayo, an enthusiastic Windmill mentor who wants to pay it forward

An outstanding mentor understands that mentoring others is both a learning and a teaching experience, and this is precisely how Mayo sees it.  

For five years, Mayo worked as a procurement professional in Nigeria before moving to Canada in 2018. When he arrived, he wanted to continue his career and get a job in his field. However, Mayo wound up getting a job that wasn’t commensurate with his education, skills and work experience. 

To improve his chances of advancing in his career, Mayo knew he needed to increase his visibility, boost his portfolio and show people what he could do. After a fortuitous encounter, Mayo learned about the Supply Chain Management Training diploma at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and decided to enroll. He received a loan from Windmill Microlending to pay for his tuition. Before finishing the program, Mayo found a job almost at the same level as the one he had in Nigeria. 

It has been three years since Mayo started working in supply chain in Canada, and he is now a subcontract coordinator at an American multinational engineering firm in Calgary.  

After experiencing how hard it was to find the information that would help him get back to his career, Mayo decided to become a mentor by joining Windmill’s Mentorship Program in the summer of 2020. He never had a mentor but always connected with others looking for support. Before arriving in Canada, and once he was here, Mayo had to reach out to many people before he could get what he needed. 

“One thing that inspired me to become a Windmill mentor is that I don’t want other skilled immigrants to go through the kind of stress I went through to get all the information I wanted. I wouldn’t want anyone to go through the long route of searching for resources when there are people who have walked that path and are available to help,” indicates Mayo. 

For the past four months, Mayo has been working with his mentee who lives in Richmond, B.C., and just started a supply chain program. “I’m helping him improve his networking skills, LinkedIn profile, portfolio and resume, and I also introduced him to a friend who is an HR professional in Richmond,” adds Mayo. 

Mayo knows that by being a mentor, he can guide other skilled immigrants and make things easier for them in their journey to a successful career in Canada. However, Mayo recognizes that mentorship is a two-way street. “Being a mentor also is a learning opportunity for me. Often mentees have ideas and ways of doing things that are new to me. It’s a two-way relationship. We both benefit because there is always constant learning for me, which is helpful to guide potential mentees.” 

For his contributions to the Mentorship Program, especially to his mentee, we want to recognize Mayo as Windmill’s Mentor of the Month.