The Power of Mentorship: A Journey of Growth and Inspiration

When 2024 HABA Intern Emmanuel Marshall signed up for the mentorship component of the HABA Summer Internship, he hoped to build a genuine relationship with a mentor who had a similar background and professional field as himself.  What he didn’t anticipate was how deeply his experience with senior software engineer Colin Kegler AB '97 would shape both his professional and personal endeavors.

“When I first met Colin, I thought that he was a respectable Black man with a great position in the career field that I hoped to pursue. I thought he was someone that I could learn a lot from,” Emmanuel, a Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) graduate and current University of Baltimore IT administration and business studies student, shared. "The connection was seamless from the beginning, and we built off of that. Over time, our mentorship expanded beyond the profession and became much more personal.”

2024 HABA Mentor Colin J. Kegler AB '97

For Colin, when HABA asked him to serve as a mentor, he was reminded that "showing an active interest in a young person's life can make a positive impact in a young person's life."

Over the summer of 2024, the pair met regularly via Zoom, discussing everything from school transitions and leadership development to navigating identity. They shared stories, setbacks, and successes. What began as a formal pairing evolved into a dynamic and lasting connection.

"Colin gave me great advice and insight to guide my academic journey transferring to a new school. In our many meetings, he played a part in my journey outside the classroom by helping me understand the power that I have as a Black man and how to use that power for good," Emmanuel noted.

From the beginning, Colin wanted to avoid a non-reciprocal dynamic and intentionally sought a different type of relationship.

"I did not want to bore Emmanuel with one-way lecturing and storytelling," Colin recalled. "The introduction during our first Zoom meeting reinforced my conviction; Emmanuel displayed that spark of interest and enthusiasm that should be brought forth rather than dulled through lecturing. I impressed upon him that our time together would be a mutual conversation where he should speak as much if not more than [me]."

Colin took a strategic approach to know and understand Emmanuel holistically, "to learn his background and gain his perspective rather than impose my own experiences on him." Their Zoom meetings often began with "15 minutes or so of standard questions to assess [Emmanuel's] progress, strategies, and concerns with summer work and course studies, [then] prompting questions, encouraging him to share his perspectives and values."

Their conversations branched off from standard fare to other topics. For example, during the U.S. presidential election, Colin and Emmanuel discussed the importance of voting as an act of self-determination (i.e. Kujichagulia from Kwanzaa). To Colin, "by not voting we yield power and decision-making by default to those whose interests may not be aligned with our own."

Emmanuel credits Colin as "the tipping point" for him when it came to voting and the significance of it. "Before our mentorship, I never voted before, and I wasn't even registered to vote. I would hear about voting from different sources, but Colin was the first person to tell me directly about the reasons [why] young black people should exercise their rights. This newfound knowledge and understanding led me to want to learn more about the history of our people and the importance of it in order for us to move forward collectively."

Emmanuel and Colin continued connecting into the Fall of 2024, growing comfortable enough to share that they both supported Kamala Harris. The morning after Election Day, while Colin was deeply affected by the [election] outcome, to his "astonishment and delight," Emmanuel reached out, thanking Colin for encouraging him to vote and sharing that he voted for the first time with his father.

2024 HABA Intern Emmanuel Marshall voting for the first time in the 2024 US Presidential Election alongside his father and a painting of Frederick Douglass

For Colin, "in spite of the sense of dread and loss, it clicked: the future is with Emmanuel and the next generation. His outreach stemmed from his own initiative, and he used his outreach to lift others up."

The pair's admiration is mutual. Emmanuel recognized that their mentor-mentee relationship expanded his perspective on leadership.

"Colin has helped me think differently about my role in advocacy. Many times, people may think that you need to be a powerful figure with some type of status to make change, but change starts with yourself. It starts with doing what you believe is right and leading by example."

Their relationship also planted seeds of greater purpose. "This mentorship made me look past what I thought my career aspirations were and think about an overall greater purpose that I wish to pursue. I initially wished to pursue a career in the IT field because I always liked and was good with technology. With this being said, IT didn't really feel like my 'passion' or 'purpose.' Although I can still pursue a career in that field, Colin has helped me realize my true passion of advocacy and how I could implement that in whatever career path I go down."

This sense of purpose has continued to sprout in Emmanuel. Inspired by the guidance he received, he now pays it forward by mentoring young men of color who in CCBC's Male Student Success Initiative, the program he was once a part of. Emmanuel shared that, "Much of the same type of guidance, support, and assistance that Colin provided to me, I provide to my mentees at CCBC as they look to graduate and transfer as well."

Both Emmanuel and Colin noted the benefit of fostering cross-generational and cross-institutional connections "to understand perspectives that are different from our own. I think our relationship shows how cross-generational connections can benefit both parties for different reasons. Having these different types of mentorships and relationships can add a lot of value to one's life," Emmanuel notes.

Colin recommends to Harvard alumni, "If HABA reaches out to you to volunteer with a manageable commitment of time or talent, I urge you to answer the call. If my experience with Emmanuel is an example, the time spent is worth the commitment."

Harvard Alumni for Black Advancement (HABA) is committed to expanding access, mentorship, and opportunities. http://harvardblackadvancement.org/aboutAbout.