From the “Land of the Thunder Dragon” to St. John’s College Reprinted, in part, from Grad Tidings, Fall 2002 It’s a long way from the Kingdom of Bhutan, “The Land of the Thunder Dragon,” to St. John’s College and the University of British Columbia, but Yeshey, one of only a few women to be sponsored by the Royal Government of Bhutan to study abroad, has been reveling in the opportunity of studying at UBC. A research scientist in the Ministry of Agriculture in Bhutan, Yeshey (the Bhutanese have only one name) is engaged in a special one-year program designed by Professor Hans Schreier of the Institute for Resources and Environment. Yeshey’s area of expertise is soil fertility, management, and conservation, a critical area for Bhutan, and her eyes light up when she describes what she hopes to bring back to Bhutan from her year at UBC. “It will be challenging, but | have a strong aim to ensure that Bhutan’s soil resources remain sustainable,” she said. “Our dependency on soil is going to increase in the future as demand for food is increasing due to population growth. Our farmers need to be educated about the importance of our soil resources, and how those resources must remain sustainable for future generations.” Bhutan has maintained a policy of controlled development in order to preserve its national identity, customs and culture, and, as Yeshey pointed out in her application to reside at the College, the Bhutanese have not had many opportunities to experience new cultures, customs or western educational approaches. While urban settle- ments have sprung up with the process of modernization, as recently as the 1960's telecommunication was non- existent in Bhutan and travel within the Kingdom could only be made by horseback or on foot... there were no roads. At St. John’s College, with its international membership, Yeshey has learned from and exchanged ideas with graduate students from a wide range of disciplines, backgrounds and origins. She has enthusiastically contributed to the College community, sharing her own interests and experience as a speaker in the College’s 2002 South-North Workshop, which this year focused on Globalization in the Mountain Environments. St. John’s College is proud to have made a contribution to Yeshey’s educational experience at UBC. We wish her well upon her return to Bhutan! Mentoring program helps forge life-long friendships | Last fall, “networking” reached new heights of success when resident Oana Branzei helped launch the College’s first official mentor- ing program for students new to the St. John’s community. Oana decided the program should meet two goals: First, she wanted participants to form relationships based on professional interests, hopefully promoting long term friendships; and second, she sought to create stronger links between College alumni and current residents through the sharing of College culture and history. The latter was very timely because just as the mentoring program was getting underway, the College was celebrating five years of operation. The mentoring program provided our more senior residents with an official channel for sharing their experiences. “The program is an effective way to quickly introduce new residents to College life, help them form lasting friendships, and get them involved with social activities and events,” explained Oana. “Each newcomer was paired with an existing resident who, in most cases, was the same age and gender and shared similar professional interests.” Oana was impressed by the level of participation. Almost everyone vol- unteered whole-heartedly — either as individual mentors, floor represen- tatives, event planners, or in some cases, as “adoptive mothers” where the need arose. Oana credits these volunteers for making the program — such a success and she is grateful for their support and enthusiasm. “The real highlight was seeing residents take genuine interest in each other’s lives and watching friendships take hold,” she emphasized. Even though this is her last year at the College, Oana hopes the mentoring program will continue. She sees it as an ideal way to help the St. John’s College culture evolve through a mix of new ideas and invaluable history. Discovering strength Minerva conference inspires leadership in women “Learning to Lead” was the theme of a conference hosted by the Minerva Foundation for BC Women and the College at St. John’s last June. Organizers included College resident Donna Dykeman and other women of influence who are committed to volunteering and sharing their life and leadership experience with young women. All participants were women and included 30 grade 11 students from across the province, 30 graduate students from BC universities and 30 women from the professional community. They came together to benefit from Minerva’s mandate to promote successful living for women of all ages and walks of life. “The Learning to Lead conference is an excellent example of how Minerva lifts up BC women, engages us in conversation, provides encouragement, and empowers us to seek success in our professional and personal lives,” explained Donna. “Personally, | found the conference inspiring and rejuvenating,” she added. “Even more important was the effect on the high school students. The conference gave them an opportunity to express their life dreams and learn of the many avenues through which women of integrity have found success.” The 2002 conference was so well received by participants and sponsors that organizers anticipate strong support for a repeat performance in June 2003. College resident Carolyn Beeson will be one of the organiz- ers and believes the highlight will be learning and growing through interaction with other strong and aspiring women. “| see myself as a strong woman with much to learn about leading,” she reflected. “By getting involved in this conference, | would benefit personally and be part of the process that helps other women find their inner strength, a quality | see as essential to leadership. | think this inner strength is something that can be learned over time and the more women who find it, the better our community will be as a whole.”