In our Mentor and Mentee Features series, we highlight a mentor and mentee partnership from our LaunchMe program and learn why thy took part and what they gained from the process. This time we speak to Joyeuse Giramahoro (Mentee) and Kirsten Schlumbohm (Mentor) from our LaunchMe 2026 cohort.
Joyeuse Giramahoro (Mentee)
Rising Junior at Franklin & Marshall College
I am a rising junior at Franklin & Marshall College studying mathematics and economics, a Girls Who Invest Scholar, and Co-Founder of GETS, a program I built at 17 to help young women in Rwanda develop financial literacy and leadership.
What excites me most about this field is not just the technical skills but the community. Being surrounded by women who are passionate about finance and committed to lifting others has pushed me to think bigger about what is possible.
Impact investing and economic development draw me in because I believe finance has the power to rewrite stories like mine. When you rise, you lift others with you. That is the impact I want to make.
Why did you join LaunchMe?
I joined LaunchMe knowing I loved finance but genuinely not knowing where I fit in it. I was a first generation student from Rwanda figuring it out with no blueprint and not many people to ask. Then I met my mentor Kirsten. She always asked how I was doing before anything career related,and that small thing made all the difference. I could think out loud, ask the questions I was too embarrassed to ask anywhere else, and just show up as myself. Every Thursday call I genuinely looked forward to.
What has been your favourite part of the mentorship program?
Through those conversations I found impact investing, and when I did, something clicked. Finance could actually be the tool behind the kind of change I have always cared about.
I came in with a lot of questions. What I found was a mentor who rooted for me and the reassurance that I do not have to have it all figured out yet. I am just getting started and that finally feels okay.
What’s one goal where you’ve seen the most impact and what have you learned from your mentor?
The biggest impact for me was the career exploration journey I went through with my mentor Kirsten. I love math, genuinely. But I also love people. And for a while those two things felt like they were pulling in opposite directions. I kept wondering — if I am always doing calculations and analyzing data, when do I actually get to connect with the people I want to help?
She gave me space to sit with that question instead of rushing past it. Through our career exploration conversations I realized finance is not what I thought it was. It is not just spreadsheets and models. There are deeply people oriented sides to it.
And that is when something shifted for me. My love for math and my love for people were never competing. They were always meant to work together.
Kirsten Schlumbohm (Mentor)
SVP, Head of Sales Support & Relationship Management, Prosperity Capital Advisors | C2P
Deeply passionate about people and relationship-building, I have built my career on the belief that relationships, not products or performance metrics, are what truly drive sustainable success. For me, these results represent more than business success. They reflect helping American families achieve security and peace of mind in retirement.
My leadership is deeply shaped by personal experience, including the loss of her sister with Down syndrome, which instilled in her a lifelong commitment to empathy, inclusivity, and meaningful impact
What drew you to mentor in LaunchMe and what’s been rewarding about the experience?
I love giving back and empower others, becoming a mentor in LaunchMe is a natural fit. I truly believe we can make a difference while shaping the future of financial services
How has the relationship inspired or influenced you and what is one thing you’ve learned from your mentee.
My mentee is amazing, she is a constant reminder of striving for more, growing and keeping faith in the fore front of what we do on a daily basis. Her smile and laughter is contagious and she lights up every conversation as she shines from the inside.
Any tips or encouragement for those entering the industry?
Keep pushing forward, it is makes you nervous and excites you at the same time, you are on the right path.