I have absolutely loved my time with Carolina! She quickly proved
to be an encouraging advocate for me. I have been working on
updating our municipality's tree code, and Carolina provided tan-
gible support from her experience and lessons she's learned in
dealing with her city's ordinances and bylaws. She sent me pertinent
resources and encouragement throughout the year. It really impacted
me to have a mentor that cared so much for me as an individual.
Despite both of our busy schedules, and the challenge that some-
times posed to scheduling, every time we met I left feeling bolstered
in my career path. We share many of the same career obstacles
and Carolina brought her passion, experience, and empathy to
encourage me. She is a person that leads by example and the field
of urban forestry is lucky to have her knowledge and care! Thank
you, UCFS—this program has been a great experience for me.
—Mary Danser (mentee)
City Forester, Littleton, Colorado
Conversations with Mary have been very fruitful. We began talking
about tree ordinances and soon found ourselves reaching out for
help in different areas. For instance, I sought Mary's expertise from
her experiences with emerald ash borer; she always got back to me
quickly with meaningful advice. More recently we discussed career
goals and development. We found ourselves already mourning
the end of the mentorship term, even though there's still time. It
showed me how fun and important this relationship has become.
I was a mentee in the program last year—mentored by Michelle
Cole—because I wanted to experience both sides of the rela-
tionship. After being in both mentee and mentor roles, I
think I was able to better align myself with the organization
and provide support. I focused on establishing a relationship,
getting to know the person, rather than just the arborist.
In terms of my own leadership journey, becoming a
mentor has been a great next step, as it is helping me
focus on having purposeful coaching conversations.
—Carolina Arango (mentor)
City Arborist, City of Surrey, British Columbia
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