Mentorship Programs Build Careers and Confidence
- Kathleen Ganster
- Dec 31, 2025
- 5 min read
Now very successful in her career, Liz Gryger wishes she had known the value of a mentor earlier in her professional journey.
“Early in my career, I thought that doing great work would speak for itself and open up career opportunities for me. What I found out is that great work is necessary, but having mentors who can give you career advice, keep an eye out for opportunities, and eventually become a sponsor to open up opportunities is essential for career advancement. We all need people who will speak up for us in the room when we aren’t there,” she said. As the director of programs at Pennsylvania Women Work, Gryger now helps ensure others can be successfully matched with a mentor.
Pennsylvania Women Work is a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting women and all job seekers facing barriers to employment.
“Our range of participants is from 18 to over 70 years of age, from GED to Ph.D. and M.D. They may have no work experience or years and years of experience,” Gryger said. Services include job search assistance, workshops, one-on-one sessions and more. Three Cups of Coffee is the mentoring component of their programming. Every person seeking assistance from PA Women Work meets with a career coach who helps assess their needs, skills and background and programming—which can include mentoring.
“We call it Three Cups of Coffee because mentors and mentees are committing to meeting three times over a 6–8-week period. The mentor helps the mentee create a customized career plan while networking and making connections. It’s a terrific program. The mentoring is a balance between encouragement and accountability,” Gryger said.
With 450 active volunteer mentors, PA Women Work has a wide depth of volunteers to help find the perfect match for participants.
“With such a wide mix of people, we can match someone who may have been in a similar situation. We look at not only their work experience, but their backgrounds, their career path and their interests. That can help us make a good match. For example, maybe someone is re-entering the workplace after being home with their children, and they want to talk to someone who did just that,” Gryger explained. Last year, PA Women Work made more than 250 mentor-mentee matches.
Volunteers come to the organization through various means including word of mouth, other organizations familiar with their work, and some are past PA Women Work participants themselves.
“It is a powerful way to give back,” Gryger said.
Having a mentor can mean the world of difference in the job search process.
“There are so many advantages. Looking for a job can be draining. A mentor can provide encouragement and be a cheerleader. But they also can provide objective advice and introduce you to others, helping you network,” she said. “It is not their responsibility to find you a job, but having someone alongside you really helps.”
Although Three Cups of Coffee participants are only committed to three meetings, many partners remain in contact—some for years, according to Gryger.
Although the name is PA Women Work, they assist everyone.
“The only requirements are that they have to be 18 years of age, live in Pennsylvania, and be authorized to work in the U.S.,” Gryger said. Services are free of charge.
Law students at the University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University can seek mentors through the Western PA Law Student Ministry Board, an arm of the Coalition for Christian Outreach. The organization assists the students with various services including matching the students to mentors who can assist with their studies, time management, networking, balancing coursework with other responsibilities, and fellowship.
Pete Pross, CCO campus staff, said the program fosters and builds mentor and mentee relationships between law students and attorneys of Christian faith. According to Pross, the mentors assist mentees on a wide variety of topics to help them balance professional and private lives, integrate their faith into the legal profession, career planning, study skills, test preparation and more.
Pross divides his time between the Pitt and Duquesne campuses, meeting with law students.
“I’m on each campus two days a week and make myself available for the students. Many come by word of mouth,” Pross said. Law students seek out Pross’ counsel for a variety of reasons.
“They may ask, ‘How do I network?’ ‘How do I balance everything?’ ‘How do I practice my faith with my studies?’ They may feel isolated or be struggling with other issues. Throughout conversations, I may ask them if they would like a mentor,” he said.
Mentors can provide an honest, friendly voice and sage advice on all sorts of matters, Pross said. He hopes that students come for assistance sooner rather than later so that they can receive the greatest benefits of the program.
As far as the mentors, serving in the role gives those established in law a way to get to know students and assist them.
“You get to share your experiences with a younger person. You take them under your wing and help them. It’s also good for the human race—to me, it is a way of giving back,” he said.
Keith Mason, now a retired attorney, serves as one of those mentors.
“We want to see goodness, justice and kindness in the law. Working, listening and assisting law students can help them find this role,” he said. “God has been very good to me—this is my way of paying it forward.”
Students at Allegheny College can also take advantage of mentoring services through the online Gator2Gator platform at the college to search for alumni who can answer questions about careers, workplaces or just similar interests or hobbies, according to Beth Ryan, program coordinator for the Bruce R. Thompson Center for Business & Economics.
“At our Center for Career and Professional Development, students can work with our counselors to job shadow or look for opportunities in general. Once our counselors know what areas of interest they are looking for, they connect students with the alumni who can support them by answering questions, reviewing resumes and doing mock interviews,” she said.
The Center for Business and Economics also hosts events that bring alumni and business experts to campus.
“The two main programs that organically bring students together with professionals are our annual Executive in Residence program and Board of Visitors. Students and alumni meet in a variety of day-long events including panels, classroom visits, luncheons and office hours,” Ryan said.
“We all need different mentors for the different seasons of our life. When students learn how to connect with a mentor for a simple question or as a long-term relationship, they provide themselves with a more expansive view of the world with help and advice when they need it. If they can begin their mentor network while still in college, they will be more able to continue to seek mentors in the workplace, then hopefully pay it forward by helping others. One of the most remarkable aspects of Allegheny College is the generosity of alumni to provide help and support to current students,” Ryan said.
For more information on PA Women Work, visit https://www.pawomenwork.org, call 412-742-4362, or email info@pawomenwork.org.
For more information on the Western PA Law Student Ministry Board, visit https://ccojubilee.org/project-detail/western-pa-law-student-ministry-board.