By: Patrick Owen Tuaño
The APWiL Mentoring Program provides international and intercultural opportunities for the empowerment, professional growth, and development of aspiring women leaders within APRU (Association of Pacific Rim Universities). The APWiL Mentoring Program conducts mentorship through one-on-one sessions, seminars, and hands-on workshops.
The program intends to grow the pipeline of aspiring women leaders in APRU, identify professional opportunities for growth and skills development, increase the awareness of challenges that aspiring women leaders face, connect senior leaders at APRU institutions with emerging women leaders, introduce global and intercultural dimensions to leaders across APRU and beyond, and advance ethnic, cultural, and gender diversity of partner institutions.
With over more than 20 participating higher education institutions, the APWiL Mentoring Program is a year-long commitment matching a mentor and mentee from one of the participating APRU member universities. Up to two mentors and mentees can represent per university.
These mentors and mentees will be paired up with different women from the APRU network, and they shall participate in one-on-one meetings, seminars and workshops that will provide opportunities to develop their leadership skills and obtain insights from other women leaders with the APRU network. They will also have the opportunity to network with senior leaders within he APRU institutions.
The APWiL Mentoring Program is a one-year program that requires commitment from its participants. For the second cohort of the APWiL Mentoring Program, the orientation and kick-off were held in November 2021, and it concluded with the graduation ceremony held on October 2022.
For the University of the Philippines, two representatives participated for the program. Dr. Nina M. Cadiz was nominated as a mentor, and Dr. Samantha Erika Mendez was nominated as a mentee for the 2nd Cohort of the APWiL Mentoring Program.
The orientation for the program began on November 2021, and workshops were held all throughout the year every two to three months. A mid-program survey and assessment was conducted in April 2022. The APWiL Mentoring Program concluded with a closing seminar and graduation ceremony that was held in October 2022. The 3rd Cohort of the APWiL Mentoring Program is currently on the way, with the orientation and kick-off being held last November 2022, and the program concluding in October 2023. From the University of the Philippines, Dr. Amaryllis Tiglao-Torres and Dr. Ma. Victoria R. Raquiza are currently participating as mentors, and Asst. Prof. Irish de Ocampo and Ms. Maritess Cruz are currently participating as mentees.