Beating the odds with 'Closing the Gap'

When I first heard of Closing the Gap (CTG), my initial though was to interview the founders as part of my research on social innovation. The mentorship model is quite common in Malaysia, but those that I have been exposed to are mostly for the shorter term. CTG matches mentors (professionals, new graduates) with mentees (SPM candidates) for a period of two years, so the coaching and progress monitoring could be outlined in a more structured manner.

I wrote in to CTG to express my interest in interviewing the team, and they were accommodating and responsive throughout. Just as I was about to set a date, an announcement was posted on the CTG Facebook page calling for new mentors for their second cohort. The commitment required is 12 mentorship sessions over two years, and it sounded doable to me. So I filled out the form and submitted my application.

My application essay was about my underwhelming academic performance as an undergraduate. My first taste of college life abroad can be summarised as ‘patchy’. I did get some things right, but I got a lot, and I mean A LOT, of things wrong. So I highlighted in the essay how I am a living encyclopaedia of “The Don’ts of Surviving College”. I guess my story brings a slightly different dimension to the makeup of the programme, so I got in.

At the launch event yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet up with the mentees, parents, and teachers who are going the extra mile for their students (it was the weekend). I was fascinated by the way the mentees shared their hopes and aspirations, and felt even more grateful that I am given the opportunity to share the little that I have with them. I guess my interview with the founders is off for now then. I’ll just write about the whole experience as a mentor over the next two years.

More on Closing the Gap here: https://www.closingthegap.my