Nationwide — Attorney Gita Sankano is encouraging experienced professionals to take a more active role in mentoring students and young professionals, especially those who are the first in their families to pursue higher education. Drawing from her own journey, she believes that access to guidance can change the course of a person’s life and strengthen communities for years to come.
As someone who was the first in her family to attend college, Sankano understands how valuable mentors can be when facing unfamiliar challenges. “Being the first in my family to attend college was an obstacle,” she said. “However, I was able to find mentors to help me navigate my way.”
Her career has taken her from growing up in Harlem and the Bronx to earning degrees from CUNY John Jay College and the University of Maryland School of Law, where she graduated Cum Laude and in the top 20 percent of her class. She has since built a career handling sophisticated commercial real estate and housing finance transactions involving major public and private institutions.
Despite those accomplishments, Sankano says her greatest measure of success is much simpler. “The definition of success is subjective,” she said. “However, for me, it’s giving back to my community and pouring in whatever knowledge I have to the youth.”
Her message comes at a time when mentorship continues to play a critical role in educational and career outcomes. According to the National Mentoring Partnership (MENTOR), one in three young people grows up without a meaningful mentor outside their family. Research also shows that young adults who have mentors are more likely to enroll in college, hold leadership positions, volunteer regularly, and report strong self-confidence. Meanwhile, the National Center for Education Statistics reports that first-generation college students continue to face lower completion rates than students whose parents earned bachelor’s degrees, highlighting the importance of support systems throughout college and early careers.
Sankano believes professionals do not need formal programs or large organizations to make a difference.
“Believing in yourself and believing that you have control over your destiny,” she said, “is something I hope every young person learns early.”
She also credits her own family for shaping that outlook. “My mother has been my biggest influence,” Sankano said. “She is a hard-working woman who never gives up and keeps going forward.”
Sankano hopes more professionals will recognize that sharing knowledge is one of the simplest ways to create lasting change. Whether someone works in law, business, education, construction, healthcare, or another field, taking time to answer questions, offer encouragement, or introduce someone to new opportunities can have an impact that lasts for years.
What Individuals Can Do Today
Sankano encourages people to start with practical actions that require very little time:
• Reach out to a student or recent graduate and offer a conversation about your career.
• Share lessons from both successes and mistakes.
• Introduce someone to a professional contact who may help them grow.
• Encourage young people to ask questions and stay curious.
• Volunteer for career days, mock interviews, or mentoring events in your community.
• Help first-generation students understand opportunities that may seem unfamiliar.
• Support confidence by recognizing effort as well as achievement.
• Continue learning yourself so you can better guide others.
“Communities become stronger when people lift one another up,” Sankano said. “You never know how one conversation or one opportunity can change someone’s future.”
Sankano hopes this message inspires more professionals to become mentors in their own neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, and community organizations. She believes meaningful change begins with individual action and that every person has knowledge worth sharing.
Call to Action
Gita Sankano invites professionals everywhere to commit to mentoring at least one student, young professional, or first-generation college attendee over the next year. Whether through a single conversation, ongoing guidance, or simply sharing your experiences, small actions can help someone build confidence, expand opportunities, and take the next step toward their goals.
About
Gita Sankano is an attorney based in the Washington, D.C. region with extensive experience in commercial real estate, transactional law, mortgage banking, and affordable housing finance. She has represented clients in complex financing transactions involving Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA-insured programs, and multi-layered real estate developments. Today, she advises on commercial real estate transactions. Specifically, affordable housing and community development matters while remaining committed to mentoring others and giving back through education and community engagement.