ACEL’s signature mentorship program provides meaningful community connections that elevate and enrich all participants, whether a mentor or mentee. Mentor Dorra Tang and mentee Amanda Woo were part of the first class to navigate the pandemic. Not only were they able to adapt to a virtual format, they thrived throughout the program! Let’s get to know them…
About Amanda:
Amanda Woo is an Arizona native who graduated locally with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business with high honors. Amanda currently resides in the Phoenix area working her day job at Bank of America where she leads a team of up to 22 people in Home Loans Customer Service. Amanda enjoys teaching tenured and new hire employees about professional opportunities within the Bank, coaching her employees to success, and taking part in innovative projects to enhance the efficiency of her department. When she is not taking part in influencing her team and department, Amanda is also an Event Manager for ACEL since December 2018 where she assists in the creation of PowerPoints and scripts, in addition to bringing speakers together to discuss important topics ranging from small business advice to fighting Asian discrimination. When not working or volunteering, Amanda enjoys reading horror novels and anthologies, learning to use her Instant Pot, and spending time with her family and two dogs.
About Dorra:
Dorra Tang is Director of Client Solutions at Exeter Financial. Ms. Tang has extensive industry experience specifically related to private wealth management. Her responsibilities include management of service and operations, compliance administration, technical liason, office management and human resources. Prior to joining Exeter Financial, Ms. Tang was a Senior Registered Relationship Consultant for Charles Schwab & Co. in their Institutional Division. This elite division offered superior service and operations support for High Net Worth clients managed by Registered Independent Advisors. While at Schwab, Ms. Tang developed a specialized group of Institutional International experts who provided wealth management options for offshore and non-resident clients. She is multilingual, fluent in both Cantonese and Spanish. Ms. Tang received her Bachelors of Science degree in Zoology/Biology from Arizona State University where she was also captain of the women’s swimming team. She currently enjoys training and racing in various athletic events ranging from triathlons to obstacle course racing. She loves spending time with her 2 teenage children and dog.
Dorra, in what ways did you see Amanda grow during the time of your mentorship?
Dorra: Amanda is such a driven, passionate professional who was destined for success through her strong work ethic. When we were initially paired up, Amanda was seeking a promotion at a large bank. Her biggest dilemma was deciding whether to remain within her department or to step out of her comfort zone while posting out to a new department in which there would be a steep learning curve. We weighed out pros and cons while she continued enhancing her resume, interviewing skills and networking. While she patiently waited for her promotion, she showed leadership skills that allowed her to become chosen as temporary team lead. Amanda was brave enough to apply for team manager of a different department and impressed the hiring supervisor. In addition to learning the fundamentals of the role, she had the additional challenge of building relationships virtually with her team. Amanda was creative in how she could learn about each team member while raising morale through implementing fun games and virtual meet ups. During her learning process, Amanda created an internal resource that was meant to help her quickly assimilate into the manager role. We talked about sharing this resource with other managers to have consistency and streamline training for new hires. The executive team was so impressed with her work that they voted to implement the resource department wide! That is a huge accomplishment in a short amount of time. I was so proud to see Amanda’s growth during our mentorship. She has become a trailblazer within her company who has much more to offer. I am excited to watch her accomplish new milestones (both professionally and personally) in the future. Although our ACEL mentorship program has come to an end, our friendship will last indefinitely!
Amanda, what is the most valuable lesson learned through Dora’s mentorship?
Amanda: Dorra increased my chance of promotion within my work by helping me improve my resume, discussing interview questions, and determining what steps would influence my work reputation. She has increased my self-awareness of needing to balance my work and personal life–that to fuel my fire, I need to feed my fire with sleep, good dietary habits, and activity. I enjoyed speaking with a mentor that listened and advocated for my needs, and our weekly conversations allowed me t reflect on my work performance and what steps I can take to be a trailblazer for my department. Dorra was a genuine, kind mentor to me that provided a wealth of knowledge and insight!
Why should others consider joining the ACEL mentorship program?
Amanda: Being a mentee through ACEL will allow you to grow professionally and personally when you leverage the knowledge and insight of those more experienced. I enjoyed not just having a sounding board, but someone who would check on my progress and hold me accountable for what goals we wanted to work on. Having a mentor helped me self-reflect on my needs and professional goals, and really refined a game plan with my mentor on how to achieve those goals. Thank you Dorra, for your partnership!
Dorra: Mentorship is a two-way street. Mentors can learn just as much as mentees through sharing in adversities, providing motivation and witnessing growth. Mentors can share in the accomplishments of their Mentee but also can be challenged to find new ways to approach/solve problems. Collaboration is welcome and can provide a fresh new set of eyes in how they view the world. With our ever-evolving professional landscape, Mentees can also share new technologies that “older” professionals would not have known about or adopted. The ACEL mentorship program seemed to fly, especially since we were the 1st class to conduct virtual mentorship meetings via Zoom and phone calls. I highly encourage everyone to participate in the ACEL mentorship program in either capacity. Life consists of seasons and cycles. We all have skills that will benefit others and sharing these gifts can raise one’s self-awareness. Let’s forge together by supporting our Asian American brothers and sisters to elevate each other to the highest levels!
Visit https://aceleaders.org/mentorship-program/ to learn more about the mentorship program and apply for the next class!
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