When the term “TED Speaker” comes to mind, you think of someone with a vast amount of knowledge in a specific field sharing their insights atop a stage in front of hundreds of people, or on a screen garnering millions of views. At 100mentors, when we hear “TED speaker”… we think mentor. And indeed, we are proud to have TED speakers like Mehdi Ordikhani-Seyedlar on the 100mentors network, eager to connect with the young minds of the world.
In one of our most exciting mentor sessions to date, a leading international school used 100mentors to connect with world-renowned neuroscientist and TED speaker (with over 1.6MM views), Mehdi Ordikhani-Seyedlar. The accomplished mentor met students to share insights from his field and life.
Getting Connected to Mehdi
Before searching for mentors to bring into the classroom, a leading international school in Eurasia first asked its students to identify which areas in which they were most interested in seeking mentor guidance. From here, a strong student interest in science and life planning led the school to find Mehdi on the 100mentors network. Mehdi’s impressive background spans a wide range of studies and degrees. In his 100mentors profile, Mehdi explains his expertise as “analyzing the brain signals and find patterns for different brain functions.”
After seeing that Mehdi would be the perfect fit for its students seeking mentorship, the school invited the mentor to speak a class of high school students, seeking guidance for their next chapter of life. After some coordination across schedules and time zones, all conveniently within the 100mentors platform, Mehdi and the school were able to find a time that worked for both the students as well as the renowned TED speaker.
Getting Mentored by Mehdi
Although Mehdi’s professional expertise lies in the complex field of neuroscience, the session was valuable beyond insights from Mehdi’s trade. Throughout the session, students sought answers to questions around general life guidance — from “what pushed you to study biomedical engineering” to “how did you come to terms with who you wanted to be?” and “If you met your younger self, what would you tell him?”
Mehdi answered the questions honestly, showing the students that it is normal to doubt yourself, and it is human to not know exactly what path you want to go down. On the screen in front of them, the students saw someone who was once in their shoes – young, curious, and hungry. They saw someone they looked up to who wasn’t just talking at them, but was actively engaging with them — personally following an agenda that they themselves set, and answering all of their questions.
The goal of these sessions is not only to give students a more in-depth look at the expertise of a specific field or application of a specific subject, but to broaden their horizons to understand all the different paths that mentors like Mehdi have gone down to get to where they are. Mentorship opportunities enable students to realize that there is no “right answer” or “single set path” that will lead them to the textbook, societal definition of success.
Connect Your Students with Mentors Like Mehdi
When students and professionals from top institutions and companies are asked why they selected the career track they are currently pursuing, the answer is always the same: they were guided by certain teachers and family members. But when making our most important academic and career decisions, we must go beyond the opinions of a few people in order to fully understand the world of limitless opportunities. It is time to empower the world’s youth to consciously make their once-in-a-lifetime decisions, by connecting them to mentors from all life paths. Here is where 100mentors comes in. At a price of less than $1/student, your school can use 100mentors to bring in great mentors like Mehdi.
To learn more about bringing great mentors into your classroom, let us know and we’ll get you set up a with a free demo for your school.
P.S. – Interested in signing up to mentor? Don’t worry, you don’t have to be a TED speaker to mentor young minds. You just have to have the desire to share your story, with the aim of opening up the minds of students. Register here.
