Browse experts
Becca R.
🌎 Moving outside the US
I’m a nomad (I’ve lived in 3 countries and 4 states), career transitioner (former neuroscientist now working in tech), and lifelong learner (3 degrees and counting). For the last 5 years I’ve been working in educational technology, and I've spent my free time doing community outreach related to career transitions, largely focused on early career researchers—my former cohort.
This program excites me because it's something that I wish I'd had in my 20s. My experience as a twenty-something was nothing like my parents—my dad was a solider in Vietnam and my mom got married at 21—they both worked in stable office jobs that they each held for 20+ years. I, on the other hand, went to college to study science, which led to a pretty unstable, nomadic lifestyle. I didn't have any adults in my life growing up who had an experience even close to this, so I received very little (or relevant) guidance from anyone. This has led me to take the "long-way" round (several times) only to find out later that there was a better way.
While making mistakes and learning from failure is a staple of life, I would like to use my learning experiences to help younger individuals know about as many of the choices available to them as possible. I recently heard the phrase "lift as you climb", and I think that being a mentor at Twenty will help me lift others—even if only one step at a time.
Outside of work and mentoring, I’m going to school (again!) for an executive MBA to shore up my business skills. My free time is mostly spent hanging out with my two cats (Mick and Oscar), enjoying the performing arts (I love theater and standup), and learning to be a better artist (I’m taking a linocut class soon that I’m really excited about).
Sonya S.
🙏 First-gen
I’m a first-generation Indian American with a mashup of Southern manners (born and partially raised in Tennessee) and West coast values (moved to the Bay Area, CA for middle and high school). After high school, I went to Boston for undergrad and stayed for a couple years after before coming back to the Bay. And soon, I’ll be moving Seattle!
Like many undergrads, I started college wanting to be a doctor. I stuck with it all the way through taking the MCAT, nose to the grindstone, before realizing that I wasn’t actually interested in 7+ more years of training. After some reflection, I landed in management consulting for biotech, where I worked for a few years before transitioning to my current role in public health. The thread of science/healthcare has remained throughout my career, but I’ve had the privilege of being exposed to many different roles by working as or working with VC, hedge funds, research/academia, pharma and biotech, and private and public industry.
When I’m not working, I…
I always found that some of the best advice I received was from people who were my peers or only a few years ahead of me. It felt like a low-stakes way to get advice and ask "dumb" questions of people who understood where I was coming from. I’ve sought advice from all avenues—colleagues, family members, friends, strangers on the internet, and even DMs to cool people on LinkedIn. It’s time for me to pass on some of what I’ve learned 🙂
Jenny M.
📈 Marketing, sales, & business
The adventure keeps going.
I’m excited to help you find your voice, your platform for beliefs and self-confidence in a shifting and challenging world.
Ari G.
⚡️ Program management
Hannah S.
🌎 Social impact
I’m originally from Tampa, Florida, where I grew up surrounded by family (I have an identical twin and two other siblings). I went to school at UNC Chapel Hill, which I absolutely loved, where I majored in Business and minored in Journalism. The desire to explore the intersection of business, creativity and technology led me to a career in marketing. I also love photography as a creative outlet, so you can check out my work here: https://www.hannah-smith-photography.com/
Georgina C.
🔥 MBA
Yumi L.
🧦 Fashion & retail
Hi, I’m Yumi! I’m a Chinese American born in Venezuela, attended schools there and in China, and finally moving to the U.S. during my teenage year. Having been exposed to 3 different continents at a young age, I’ve taken an interest in learning about how different things work in different cultures. I’ve worked at various industries — art, import/export, non-profit, real estate, retail and tech - mainly in the operations and business development space.
Throughout my 20s, I’ve been very fortunate to have mentors from all walks of life that have pushed me to do better, expanded my worldview, and helped shaped the person I am today. I want to pay it forward and be the mentor that I wished I had when I was 20. Reach out and let me know how I could help!
Dee T.
Hi, my name is Dee and I am excited to be a mentor on Twenty! I am currently a student a Harvard Business School and excited at the opportunity to mentor the next generation. Let’s connect!
Jennifer T.
As the child of refugees and a first generation college (now MBA) graduate, Twenty’s mission resonates deeply. It was hard to find mentors when I was younger and I struggled to find my way in my 20s. But when I did find mentors, they helped change the trajectory of my life. I would love to pay that forward.
Professionally, I've worked across tech, nonprofits, and government. For the last 5 years, I have been in B2B product marketing and customer success at ML/AI, edtech, and fintech startups, as well as larger companies like Apple. I'm now a product marketing manager at DeepL, a German unicorn that uses ML/AI to break down communication barriers. I recently moved to London, and graduated last May with an MBA at Berkeley Haas.
DC R.
Hi, I’m DC, a UX Designer and Researcher based in the Bay Area. After college graduation, I moved to Berlin, Germany to work for a service design studio, where I learned a lot about stretching outside of your personal and professional comfort zone. Prior to landing my current job, I used my engineering degree to explore various career paths, from early childhood education to IT hardware.I’m passionate about: teaching; creating beautiful, helpful, functional products; and understanding the relationship between achievement and mental health.My formative years were shaped by great mentors, and I’m excited to pay it forward!
Jacob H.
My name is Jacob Hogge (pronounced like “rogue” with an “H”) and I’m excited to chat with you!
I currently manage a team of 6 engineers (and a fluctuating number of interns) at SpaceX. Together, we’re responsible for the quality of thousands of components on the Falcon and Dragon spacecraft. Helping my team solve difficult technical challenges, and pushing them to grow personally and professionally is what makes me excited to go to work every day.
Outside of my career I enjoy backpacking, skiing, triathlon, and beach volleyball. I’m also passionate about Australian Shepherds, hot lattes, and key-lime pie; I try my best to indulge in these at every opportunity.
I’m a strong believer in continuous improvement, and I learned from an early age that mentorship is an excellent catalyst for growth. A great mentor can help you build the confidence and skills to reach your goals, while allowing you to learn from their mistakes and missteps. With that said, there’s no right way to live life; I don’t claim to have all the answers. Sometimes just having somebody to bounce ideas off of is all you need to move forward. I look forward to learning and growing together!
Manoela R.
I came from a small city in Brazil where people tend to stay forever (high school, college, first job, second, third, build a family, grow old), and I decided to challenge that - got out of my parents house when I was 16 and haven't come back since. I went to study engineering, joined an NGO, went abroad a couple of times, volunteered, got to McKinsey and now to HBS.
Since then, I've been trying to share a bit more of my accomplishments to see if I could help inspire others to also get out of their comfort zones - and I believe I've been successful so far, as people keep reaching out to me for career advice and mentoring in general.
Anthony V.
I've mentored professionals since I was a full-time employee at Cisco. I've always enjoyed teaching other, and I come from an underprivileged upbringing, so I feel like I have a lot to give. Twenty excites me because it is an opportunity to help up and coming professionals. I feel like my experience is very expansive, and I've made a ton of mistakes, so people can learn from what I've done wrong.
Asli K.
I grew up in Turkey, attended high school in Istanbul, then moved to California for Stanford. After studying computer science and architecture, I specialized in product design over the last decade at tech startups like Asana, Twitter, and Autodesk. My professional superpower is bringing clarity and mindfulness to teamwork. Attending silent retreats and practicing meditation allows me to be my best self. I know we’re inter-connected to each other and with the Earth. I bring these mindfulness practices to the teams and individuals I work with. In the wild, you can find me exploring new instruments and singing with friends!
Tommy H.
My family left Vietnam when I was 4 and I didn’t return to my birthplace for 22 years. So there’s a lot of “straddling the line between being Vietnamese and American, trying to please my parents but also wishing they’d adopt more American values, finding the pride of being Asian-American in a society dominated by White people” stuff that I’ve grappled with throughout my twenties.
Work and career success was really tangled into my identity for a loooong time as well. Like, my self worth was tied to what I could achieve during my time on planet earth. I eventually found the unsubscribe button within the cult of productivity app, and realized my life, work, partner, friends, city, and bank account balance was all enough—stellar actually. Not to say I’ve figured it out; far from it. But I’m working on it every day.
I didn’t navigate and learn everything you’ve read on this page without people giving me a lot of their time and perspectives. So I’m here to listen, learn, ask questions, and hopefully pay it forward to you.
Dartis W.
Hello Twenty-something my name is Dartis Willis II, I’m a Senior Product Manager (and former UX researcher) who just became a new mentor at Twenty. I would love to give you some helpful advice, but first here’s a little bit of information on my background.
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