At PYD’s upcoming benefit event, we will be honoring Ernst & Young and a handful of individuals for their commitment to the inclusion and mentoring of youth with disabilities. Steve Mastrocola is one of our honorees, selected for his commitment to mentoring and service as a PYD board member. Steve is an Assurance Partner and is the Area Leader of Ernst & Young’s New England Assurance Practice, primarily serving clients in the technology and life sciences industries. Based in Boston, Steve has more than 25 years of experience with a significant focus on working with privately-owned and publicly-held companies in the technology sector including software, medical devices and e-commerce. Steve is a Member of the Board of Directors of PYD now for five years and is steadfast in his care and support in a plethora of ways. He gives of his time and expertise as a member of the finance committee, is a champion in giving and encourages, invites, and welcomes the participation of his family, friends and colleagues at PYD.Learn more about Steve below!
Why is mentoring important to you?
I believe mentoring is very important because it provides the mentee guidance and the benefit of the mentor’s experiences. They say you learn from your mistakes, which is true, but I believe it is even better to learn from someone else’s mistakes. That is what a mentor provides to a mentee – the experience gained over lifetime (much of which may have been learned the “hard way”). Everyone is different in their own way and a mentee needs a resource to ask questions about things he or she may have not experienced, or had a bad experience previously, but does not know how or why it went wrong. I think that mentoring is as good for the mentor as it is for the mentee, because it allows the mentor to give back – stewardship is an important part of life. I think for the mentor, it allows that person the ability to leave the world off in a little better place than before.
Why is inclusion important to you?
Inclusion is important because it is allows for different perspectives. Everyone is different and has their own point of view – by presenting different viewpoints to a problem, conversation or group, it provides a more thoughtful process and solution. Inclusion pools he best resources of the group to improve outcomes.
Who’s someone you consider a mentor?
I have had many mentors in my life – whether they knew it or not. It started with my parents and my siblings (I was fortunate enough to have 5 siblings, 4 of which are older than me) and continued through school and college. I have had several mentors in my professional careers who have helped me succeed. In the end, I like to think I took a the best from each mentor to develop into the person I am today.
What’s your favorite PYD memory?
My favorite PYD memory is simply the enthusiasm that the PYD staff brings every day – no matter how small or big the issue at hand, the entire staff attacks it head on. When there are successes, they are extremely grateful and celebrate in a humble way.