Sometimes, the right mentor does more than offer advice. They help bring you closer to the spaces where you hope to grow.
For AudreyFanny Olivia Ticky Ntema, one of our HVISTEM mentees, that space is forest certification.
When Audrey applied to the HVISTEM Mentorship Program, she clearly expressed an interest in forest certification. As we matched mentees with mentors, we wanted those interests and aspirations to genuinely guide the process.
Our search for someone whose work aligned with Audrey's interests eventually led us, through LinkedIn, to Dr Seraphine Mokake, a botanist and forest ecologist at the University of Douala.
It was an intentional match. And recently, we got to see what that connection can make possible.
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Beyond the mentorship sessions
During FSC Forest Week 2026, Dr Mokake invited Audrey to participate in activities at the University of Douala.
For Audrey, this was an opportunity to step beyond mentorship conversations and gain exposure to the field she had specifically identified as an area she wanted to explore.
These experiences matter.
Learning about a field is one thing. Having someone already working within it bring you closer to the spaces, conversations and experiences that shape that field can make the journey feel much more tangible.
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Why intentional mentor matching matters
At HVISTEM, we believe mentorship is most meaningful when the person guiding you understands, as closely as possible, where you hope to go.
That is why our matching process goes beyond broad labels such as science, technology or engineering. Where possible, we look at the specific interests our mentees share with us and search for mentors whose experiences can speak to those aspirations.
Audrey's story is a simple example of why that matters.
An interest she wrote about in her application informed the mentor we searched for. That mentor is now helping her experience that interest beyond a mentorship call.
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Thank you, Dr Seraphine Mokake
We are deeply grateful to Dr Seraphine Mokake for embracing this mentorship and for creating opportunities for Audrey to learn and grow.
Mentorship requires time, commitment and a willingness to share not only knowledge, but sometimes access to the spaces and experiences that helped shape your own journey.
We appreciate Dr Mokake for making that investment in Audrey.
Audrey and Dr Mokake's mentorship journey is still unfolding, and we look forward to seeing where it leads.
For us, moments like this capture something at the heart of HVISTEM: connecting young women with people who can help turn their interests into experiences, their questions into possibilities, and their aspirations into paths they can begin to explore.
Sometimes, the right mentor does not simply tell you about the path ahead. They give you an opportunity to walk a little of it with them.