The ICAS Foundation held its annual mentor/student welcome day on Tuesday September 10, 2024.
The event took place in the stunning Edrington building in the heart of Glasgow and served as a warm introduction to a brand new cohort of mentors and students, setting the tone for an impactful year of mentorship, growth, and community building.
The day was split into two overlapping segments, with the morning focusing on mentors.
The opening session featured an engaging Ask the Mentor panel, where returning mentors John Brebner CA, Gary Motherwell CA and Elizabeth Young CA spoke candidly about the challenges and rewards of guiding students through their academic and professional journeys.
Mentor Panel L-R Elizabeth Young CA, Gary Motherwell CA and John Brebner CA (Photo: Paul Watt Photography)
Throughout the morning inductees would learn more about the process gaining a holistic understanding of what makes a good mentor.
One of the morning's expert panel members John Brebner CA commented “It was a great pleasure to attend the event in fact, quite a highlight of the year. I felt that I was amongst like-minded people. The organisation of the event was superb, and I am sure the ICAS Foundation will go from strength to strength.”
As the morning drew to a close, mentors and students gathered for a networking lunch, where the new students were offered the opportunity of a professional headshot.
The lunch provided an opportunity for mentors to meet with their students in an informal setting filled with excitement and anticipation.
In the afternoon, the focus shifted to the students. After a welcome address from ICAS Foundation Director Sanjay Singh, the students took part in a host of workshops and seminars where they would learn how to make the most of the opportunities being an ICAS Foundation student offers.
Members of the afternoon graduate panel: L-R Amy Vincent, Ryan Brown and Emma Mathieson CA (Photo: Paul Watt Photography)
The day was rounded off with a spot of speed networking where all the new students were able to get to know more about each other.
Accountancy and Economics student Eva Kate Reilly said “I loved meeting all the new students on the ICAS Foundation Programme and finding out how they got involved as we are all from different backgrounds. I also found the panel with former ICAS Foundation students really interesting and inspiring! I’m very excited and grateful for the opportunity I have been given.”
The 2024 intake of ICAS Foundation students meet for the first time at the Mentor/Student Welcome Event on September 10 (Photo: Paul Watt Photography)
ICAS Foundation Director Sanjay Singh said “I was genuinely inspired by our students and alumni today - it brings me a huge amount of humility to see them in once place, starting out in their young adult lives. It reminds me very literally why I do what I do - and for a career in the charity sector that means everything to me. I also have to mention the ICAS Foundation team who worked so hard to make the event such a success. A great day all round!”
The ICAS Foundation would like to thank everyone at Edrington for their hospitality and extend a very special thank you to our expert panel of mentors Gary Motherwell CA, John Brebner CA and Elizabeth Young CA, and graduate panel Ryan Brown, Amy Vincent, Eryn Paterson CA and Emma Mathieson CA for giving the new intake of ICAS Foundation students and mentors a real insight to the journey ahead of them.
The ICAS Foundation is a registered Scottish charity No SC034836.
To find out more about the ICAS Foundation, visit the website at www.icasfoundation.org.uk. You can support its work by donating, volunteering to mentor a student or providing an internship or work placement. You can also contact us to discuss a specific area where you would like to help.