A Newcastle doctor and her four sisters are running a mentorship scheme to inspire the next generation of doctors, lawyers, dentists, and accountants.
Newcastle Hospitals Dr Najibah Mahtab and her sisters founded the non-for-profit 5 Diamonds Mentorship programme to inspire, guide and support students from all backgrounds to achieve professional success.
The Mahtab sisters, who grew up in the Gosforth area of the city, founded the mentorship for young people aged between 14 and 18 and run workshops across the UK. To date, they have had over 200 students sign up to the scheme.
One of the five diamonds, Dr Najibah Mahtab, works as an oncologist at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital, she said: “My four sisters and I set up the mentorship around 2 years ago, with the vision to reach out to students who have the skills and passion, but don’t have the access and support to make an informed decision about their career path.”
Workshops which have taken place in Manchester, London and Newcastle, give an in depth understanding into the sister’s professions and arm students with all the necessary tools to make university applications.
Dr Najibah Mahtab explains: “I lead the medical workshop of the programme here in Newcastle. Students who attend gain experience through lectures, presentations and also practical exercises to gain an insight into what a career in medicine is like.
“The programme is not just about giving information about the career, what we can offer is on-going support and advice.”
Each sister draws on the experiences of their colleagues, giving an insight into the job and advice on how to succeed, with ongoing mentoring.
Dr Mahtab hopes one day she will see one of her students working in the region’s hospitals, she adds: “If you have the passion and desire for a career in medicine, we’re an organisation who can help make it a reality.”
The name “5 Diamonds” comes from the nickname given to them by their father – “Ponchoratna” which in Bengali means “5 Diamonds”.
The 5 Diamonds mentorship offers bursaries for their events and all proceeds from events go towards the 5 Diamonds Mentorship Scholarship Fund.
The four additional ‘diamonds’ are:
- Barrister, Sumita Mahtab-Shaikh.
- Dental surgeon, Dr Surita Mahtab Choudhary.
- Dental surgeon, Dr Kabita Mahtab Shah.
- Chartered accountant, Tanveer Mahtab-Ahmed.
