---
title: 'See it to be it' — The Power of Mentorship and Entrepreneurship
description: I'm mentoring young people in a Chicago community where I grew up to be entrepreneurs...a person of color doesn’t have to be an athlete...to be successful
---

[Uncharted Learning in the News ](https://www.unchartedlearning.org/newsroom)

# ['See it to be it' — The Power of Mentorship and Entrepreneurship](https://www.unchartedlearning.org/newsroom/the-power-of-mentorship-and-entrepreneurship)

 Written by [Guest: Kevin Newell](https://www.unchartedlearning.org/newsroom/author/guest-kevin-newell-1) | 11.23.20

Several years ago, when I was president of McDonald’s West Coast operations, I needed to meet with a Los Angeles area franchisee before heading back east to Chicago. My driver pulled into the parking lot, where a young African-American security guard was on duty. We nodded at each other — I’m certain I was wearing a suit — as I walked inside.

A few minutes later, the security guard approached the owner and me, prompting us to ask whether there was an issue outside. “No,” he said. “I just want to have a moment to speak to the gentleman here.” We chatted for a few minutes. He was probably in his mid-20s and had just recently returned from two tours of duty in Iraq.

“Thank you for talking to me,” he said. “It’s just that I haven’t seen anybody like you before” — meaning a Black man with a high-level position in corporate America and important enough to have someone drive him around while he worked. 

[View full post](https://www.unchartedlearning.org/newsroom/the-power-of-mentorship-and-entrepreneurship)

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