The mentor: Sara Ortwein, Vice President, Exxon Mobil Development Co.
After watching fellow Nigerians struggle to balance their dreams with the constraints of reality, Lucy Kanu launched IDEA Builders, a nongovernment organization that works to improve the lives of disadvantaged women and youth. The experience: Three weeks at Exxon Mobil taught Kanu to "pay attention to detail in every way" and to remember "no waste, no excess in processes." Cool opportunity: Ortwein organized a dinner with employees from Exxon Mobil's Nigerian affiliate where Lucy gave an impassioned talk about her organization. Ortwein's takeaway: "Lucy reinforced for me the difference that one person can make."
Photographed on the Hoover-Diana platform, an offshore rig in the Gulf of Mexico
More galleries
Last updated July 11 2008: 2:26 PM ET