by Julie McCoy 

 

Like a close-knit family that sends its support down through the generations, Women of Tomorrow has always encouraged its graduates to return as Mentors. Recently, the program has seen two Mentees who've established successful careers return to the organization which provided them so much support as young women.
 
"There were women who opened doors for me, and now it's my turn to open doors for other women," says Yudislaidy Fernandez, new Mentor and reporter at Miami Today.
 
Fernandez was a Mentee at Coral Gables Senior High School and graduated in 2004. As a Mentee, Fernandez says meeting so many professional women across so many fields encouraged her to pursue her dream of becoming a reporter.
 
"It made my dream seem more tangible," Fernandez says.
 
Additionally, Women of Tomorrow taught her the value of having a mentor. Throughout college, Fernandez sought out mentors in the field of journalism. With their help, Fernandez stayed on the path to a rewarding career as a reporter.
 
Now, as a professional, Fernandez wants to share the power of mentoring with high school girls. As soon as she settled into her job, she reached out to Women of Tomorrow and applied to be a Mentor. Fernandez recently spoke to Mentees for the first time, sharing her story and says the experience was more rewarding than she could have imagined.
 
"I wanted to get involved because I am a product of the organization," Fernandez says.
 
The same motivations lead Maude Exantus, RN, a former Mentee, to become a Mentor. Exantus joined Women of Tomorrow during her sophomore year at Homestead Sr. High School and graduated from there in 2003. A presentation by Mentors explaining the benefits of becoming a professional woman really changed the direction of her life, Exantus says. 
 
"I was not headed down the right path," she says. "Then I saw all of these professional women, and they inspired me. I decided I would work hard to meet my goals."
 
With Women of Tomorrow's help, Exantus articulated her career goals and developed a plan for meeting them. Although she hit a few bumps in the road, the lessons she learned as a Mentee kept her on track. She finished school and became a nurse.
 
Without Women of Tomorrow, Exantus says she wouldn't be the successful career woman she is today, and now she wants to give others the same opportunity.
 
"Women of Tomorrow helped me, and I want to help young ladies like someone helped me. I want to help them achieve success," Exantus says.