Testimonials

This year long mentorship program pairs young women with professional Sacramento women at the top of their careers. The pairs meet at each She Shares event during the year where they will also have an opportunity to talk with the featured speaker. Mentees will also be engaged between events at workshops hosted by sponsors and community leaders on topics relevant to professional development. These will be open to additional young women, allowing the program to reach beyond just those participating as mentees.

 

Read below to learn more about the impact the She Shares Mentorship program has had on mentees and mentors alike. 

Mentee Testimonials

Jessica says that the most important thing she learned from her mentor is that hard work pays off. Karina successfully ran for Sacramento City Council while they were paired up – so Jessica was inspired by her perseverance in that effort. She also said, “I really love the networking part of the program and the virtual trainings that were scheduled throughout the year!”
-2022 Mentee Jessica Rocha, Legislative Assistant in the California State Assembly

Mentor: Karina Talamantes, Sacramento City Council Elect 

“I am eternally grateful to She Shares for bringing Nicole and I together. As a First Generation attorney, law school graduate, and college graduate, having a mentor to just share their experiences is essential to our own personal journey in navigating the professional world while still having a personal life. Nicole is that mentor, ally, and friend that makes our lives special. I appreciate Nicole's mentorship and just her honesty with the challenges women face. Nicole is an example of how women are resilient and make it work. I can completely relate and appreciate our honest conversations. When I first joined She Shares, I thought it would just be career advice, but Nicole went above and beyond and answered my questions regarding balance, or the attempt to balance professional life, personal life, and family life....all while still paying it forward and paving the way for the next generation.”

-2022 Mentee Kendra Rivas, Deputy Attorney General in the Attorney General’s Honors Program – Civil Division

Mentor: Nicole Soluri, CEO of Professional Businesswomen of California

“Karen taught me the importance of networking. Karen is amazing at building connections with others and has an extensive network of friends and colleagues that she so graciously extended to me. I ended up transitioning jobs and states this summer to be closer to family, and in preparation for this move, Karen introduced me to multiple people who are connected to the higher education community nationally. They connected me to the higher education community in my home state, and I was able to meet with the leaders of advocacy organizations and government agencies. I learned about the higher education landscape in my home state and different job opportunities. I ended up applying to these positions, received multiple job offers, and was able to pick my top choice!”

-2022 Mentee Irma Castañeda, Research Analyst at MEF Associates

Mentor: Karen Zamarripa, President, Karen Zamarripa Consulting

"With the encouragement of my manager, I applied to be a 2021 She Shares mentee and was matched with a wonderful and knowledgeable mentor with years of experience in the health care industry. Over the last year, this mentoring relationship has proved invaluable both personally and professionally. Having a dedicated mentor to whom I can bring questions and problems helped me grow in my role at Aurrera Health and build my identity as a young professional. Recurring virtual or in-person meetings each month gave us structure and the opportunity to discuss everything from navigating the many players in the health care industry, to effectively managing a team, to staying motivated while working during the pandemic, to the importance of balancing career goals with other priorities. Participating in this program and developing a relationship with my mentor has allowed me to stay connected to my Sacramento community – something I was yearning for when I decided to take a leap of faith and move away from my home state."

-Madison Rasmussen, Account Executive, Strategic Communications, Aurrera HealthGroup 

Mentor: Natalie Cardenas, Regional Director of Government Relations & Public Affairs, UCB, Inc.

"I entered this industry as a young college student with no friends or family working in legislation. Before SheShares, I often felt that my resources were limited.

In the SheShares program, I was assigned Katie Hansen as my mentor. Katie and I talk on the phone roughly once every other week to discuss my goals and how I am working on achieving them. If I ever had a question that Katie did not know the answer to, she was always willing to learn with me. Katie and I would talk about my immediate goals, future goals, day to day workload, and my developing skillset. I am thankful to have someone trustworthy like Katie to guide me through developing a career in legislation. Katie is a Legislative Director for the California Restaurant Association, so her advice is valuable to me as a legislative aide. I would like to thank the people who put this program together because they have given me a lifelong mentor, advocate, and friend."

-Lindsay McLaggan, Legislative Aide, California State Assembly 

Mentor: Katie Hansen, Senior Legislative Director, California Restaurant Association

“I feel very fortunate to have been chosen as a participant in the Mentoring Future Leaders program. She Shares provides young women a helping hand transitioning into the professional world. It has given me a networking experience that I wouldn't have gotten with any other program, and has also created a friendship with my mentor, Matina Kolokotronis. What she has accomplished is impressive, but more than anything it’s motivating. I have gained a respect for Matina, the women I have heard speak during the luncheons, and also the one’s I've met. These leaders are influencing me every day to continue to work hard, to jump at different opportunities, and to do the best I can with what I have. I hope that one day I can be a mentor to a special young woman, and give her the opportunity for a brighter future.”

– Amanda Marinac, UC Davis

Mentor: Matina Kolokotronis, president of business operations for the Sacramento Kings. 

"Before coming to the She Shares Workshop I was not sure which career field I was most interested in. So by attending the workshop I hoped that one of the speakers would somehow convince me that their career was best for me. Once I attended the workshop it was totally different from what I expected. Instead, I learned and obtained valuable advice given from guest speakers and used it to my advantage, such as having self-confidence and good communication skills. This was such an amazing workshop and I hope it can reach out to more women throughout all ages and classes because there was a lot of great advice that could potentially change someone's life and/or career path. This experience was valuable to me because I never had a mentor or someone who shared their success story with me, so I am very pleased I attended this workshop and connected with such influential women. Something that I will never forget from this workshop is 'networking'. Networking is so important and I am gradually learning how to network with people on LinkedIn and other social networks. I had such an amazing time at the workshop and hope this kind of opportunity is presented in the future. "

– Panhoia Lee

"I applied for a marketing position a few days prior to the She Shares workshop, and to my surprise, I met the hiring manager at the event. The connection I made during this training allowed me to personally connect with a strong woman of power, apply new networking skills I learned during the workshop, highlight my skills as an individual and ask questions about the specific position. Now I am proud to say I work with an amazing team and continue to learn something new on a daily basis as a marketing coordinator. The She Shares event was my 'hard work meets opportunity' moment! I'm thankful that I was not only about to connect with this individual but also network with other working women from around the Sacramento region."

- Sheenal Kumar

"As a young professional in Sacramento, the She Shares mentorship program has been a priceless experience for building my professional opportunities and network of women leaders. In my first year of law school, I had the distinct honor of being paired with Judge Kimberly Mueller from whom I truly benefited from the unique perspective and encounters that she shared with me, lessons that I applied to my own life. At SheShares presentations, we were given a private audience with each speaker to gain invaluable insight into each of their distinct career paths. When interviewing for my current position, I was able to draw on these experiences as well as the connections of the SheShares network to secure a favorable recommendation even before my interview. I would recommend the SheShares mentorship program and its network to any serious female professional and I look forward to continuing to be a contributing member of the group." 

- Olivia Filbrandt

 

I think She Shares is a great program because young women get to learn from experienced professional women leaders who were once in their shoes at some point when they were first starting their career. My mentor has become an incredible role model to me and has given me valuable lessons that I will forever take and utilize as a I continue to pave a career path for myself. She Shares is one of a kind because they give young women a platform to rise as upcoming leaders for the community."

- Nathalie Nguyen

Mentor Testimonials

“I've really enjoyed getting to know [my mentee] and becoming involved in her career development. She has a lot to offer the community and professionally is already achieving at a very high level for someone her age. It's also been rewarding to get to know some of the other mentees and I've had the opportunity to meet with many of them one on one as well as discuss career and other objectives with them. Spending time with the other mentors, especially socially, has been an added benefit. I find the sense of community in SheShares so rewarding and feel very fortunate to be a part of it. This program has really helped keep purpose foremost in my professional life and that is a reward beyond measure.

- Kelly Boyd, Strategic Advisor, Arc Strategies and Executive Director, Low Carbon Fuel and Energy Coalition

 

"Phil Collins said: 'In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn. Being a SheShares mentor, I’ve taught and shared a little and learned a lot.'"

-Gayle Miller

 

"I was fortunate to have had and still have a mentor, let alone a female mentor, throughout my career, so the least I can do is be the same for someone else. It is difficult to balance your career and family so being able to walk through and share your experiences with the hope it helps someone else is very rewarding." 

- Emily Pappas

Get Involved

Mentoring Future Leaders

Run in partnership with the California Center for Civic Participation, She Shares offers a mentorship and networking opportuntiy for young women.

 

For more information, contact She Shares.

Sponsorship

She Shares offers event sponsorship at many levels for organizations and businesses interested in supporting the next generation of women leaders. Because the California Center for Civic Participation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, contributions to She Shares are tax-deductible.

 

For more information, please contact Tamara Torlakson.

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To subscribe to the She Shares mailing list, please email tt@tamaratorlakson.com 

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