BBU Case Study: Katya | Fluid Mentor, Core Team Member and Mentoring Lead at WOMEN IN BIM
I’ve been mentoring since university, when I worked with schools whose students weren’t pushed to aim ambitiously. I’m a brown, short, Bulgarian queer woman, so I have faced challenges. Being the only woman at the table with 12 older, white men is a given in the industry, and it can be exhausting.
I read a post on LinkedIn about the programme, messaged and was quickly being interviewed for my potential as a mentor.
My training and background is quite specific, so I could be paired with someone who wanted my particular help. My mentee was BIM coordinator at the start of her career. When we first met over turmeric lattes, she shared her ambitions with me. I’d already had a great day, but I left that cafe with a huge smile on my face.
“Mentoring reminds you of how excited you were at the start of your career; if you’re in a lull, you see this young person who is excited to do more and be more. She was ready to soak in everything I had to give. When someone’s looking up to you it’s so great for your confidence.”
80% of the time I want to cancel the meetings - they’re late, they’re after work and I’m tired. But every time after I finish a mentoring session I am filled up with energy like that first time: like I’m walking on sunshine, big smile on my face and energised to channel that back into my work.
Built By Us has introduced me to friends and it’s been a massive support in terms of talking about issues around racism and sexism, and being a place that even as a former mentor, I can get support when I’m feeling exhausted. I have friends on video chat, we support each other in setting up our own built environment businesses, so it’s brilliant to have that level of support.
I’m a mentor mainly because I’m a good listener, but when you’re involved in Diversity & Inclusion, you know that you don’t know. You’re ready for someone to tell you that you need to learn. Built By Us has been another beautiful door to amazing resources for me and it’s provided me with a network of people who can understand the struggles of being a brown, queer woman in this industry. It’s helped me to set up and start my own mentoring group and my own business.
“I’ve worked with international, award-winning architects on projects of national importance, and I’ve always felt good: but I’ve never felt like that. It was never like when you’re seeing in someone’s face the difference that you are making for them. It’s immediate.”
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