On mentors

Recent events have prompted me to reflect on the mentors I've had the privilege of working with, and how they've shaped how I think.

Mentor A was distant, if not a little intimidating. Yet I found their output of ideas exhilirating: they really exemplified the power of the quiet mind.

I still work closely with Mentor B. Mentor B is a true polymath: everything falls within the realm of the Glass Bead Game, as they might say. From our interactions, I really began to see what "generosity of thought" is: when you've got so many ideas in your head and can hold forth on a whole range of ideas, you can help others with problem selection.

Mentors C, D, and E were wonderful as well. They provided strategic direction to me, an early-stage, enthusiastic undergraduate, and gave my ideas the time and space to thrive. I might not have been the most present student, but I hope I had some interesting ideas.

What is the point of this exercise? I think as a student I'm fairly impressionable. But in retrospect, I took a different subset of ideas from each. From A, I learned how to think strategically: how do you manage a team, and how do you switch from exploration to exploitation. From B, I learned how to think across the academic silos found in academia. From C, D, and E, I learned how to conduct rigorous research, and push projects to completion.

Some of these mentors are composites: A certainly is one. But each has left their own, distinct mark on how I view the world.