Enterprising Women Exhibit

The mentor relationship is a special one, built on the knowledge shared between mentor and protégé. We were interested in seeing this relationship from the inside out. How would, say, Amelia Earhart advise a young woman who aspires to a career in aviation? What would a contemporary woman in the marketing business say to her mentor?

We dug through the archives and found letters that now-famous mentors wrote to the young women who looked to them for advice and guidance. Read their wisdom here.

In thinking about mentorship in the 21st century, we turned instead to mentees and asked: What would you say to your mentor if you took the time to write him or her a letter? Here, too, you can browse through the letters they shared with us.

And if all these letters inspire you to pick up a pen, remember you can Submit Your Story on this site as well. There's a category just for mentors.

» Susan B. Anthony responds to a young friend who wants to know how to help the suffrage movement.

» Sharon M. Batista thanks her mentor Alison Zimon for helping her through the ups and downs of the medical school application process.

» Deb Cross writes a letter thanking her mentor Julie Nell for the guidance she's provided over the course of her career.

» Amelia Earhart advises Beatrice Pugsley, a young woman seeking to break into aviation.

» Elizabeth Murray Smith writes to her brother James Murray about encouraging a young lady she was mentoring to go work in America.

» Eliza Lucas Pinckney writes a letter to her niece, Miss Bartlett, about the virtues of waking early.

» Kathryn Richey thanks her mentor Andrea Cedrone for helping her navigate the advertising and marketing industries.

Honor your mentor by contributing your own letter to our public archive. Or, browse through the other mentor letters we've collected.

If you're thinking about getting started in business, or even if you've already launched your career, one of the wisest things you can do is seek out a mentor. Why? There are lots of reasons. You've heard that experience is the best teacher (or something like that), and it's probably true. But it's also true that you can skip past a lot of those personal-growth experiences by turning the famous phrase around: Make experienced people your teachers. After all, they might already have dealt with a problem you're confronting or made the mistake you're about to make. If they can tell you about what they did or wished they had done, you might get past the problem more quickly or avoid it altogether.

Of course, there's no guarantee that, in dodging one error, you won't tumble right into another. That's another good reason to have a mentor! You'll have someone to sympathize with you, someone who may even let you whine (or weep) a little bit before cheering you up by pointing out what might help make things right again.

Also—and this is one of the best reasons to seek out a mentor—the relationship isn't just about problem-solving and emotional support. It's a practical business strategy. Mentors can use their influence to help protégés get better jobs, promotions, or more interesting projects. If you're working for your mentor, your successes will improve the company's performance. If you're an entrepreneur, your mentor might help you to obtain venture capital for your fledgling company or refer clients to you. One day, you'll be in a position to return the favor. See? Everyone benefits.