Mentee Spotlight: Meet Willis Huynh
Curated & Edited by Lyra Yang of
StreetWise Partners
Published: July 6th, 2026
What was your professional life or job search like right before you found StreetWise Partners? What were the biggest challenges or frustrations you were facing?
Before StreetWise Partners, I was unemployed and struggling to gain any traction despite putting in real effort. I completed countless coffee chats, submitted applications across sales and finance roles, and did the work that most people skip. The frustrating part was not a lack of preparation or confidence, but rather the market and the state of the current job market. I was not hearing back from anywhere. No matter how much I refined my approach, nothing was sticking. I had the drive and the potential, but the opportunities simply were not presenting themselves. I felt like I was spinning my wheels in the mud.
Tell us about your mentor. What made your connection with them unique or special? What was the best piece of advice they gave you? How did the broader StreetWise Partners community support your growth?
My mentor Fariha was in human resources, and she is very kind, empathetic, and encouraging. She was calm, patient, and encouraging while still holding me accountable. She helped me overhaul my resume and optimize my LinkedIn for ATS screening, which turned out to be a major unlock. She also worked through mock interviews with me and gave me real guidance before I walked into actual interviews. What made the relationship stand out was that we genuinely respect each other and saw eye to eye.
Beyond my mentor, what I valued most from StreetWise Partners was the broader community of volunteers and professionals. These were people at the VP, director, manager, and C-suite level who carved time out of busy lives, many of them with families, to pour into the next generation of business professionals. The assignments were meaningful. The workshops and mock interviews pushed me to communicate more clearly and get real reps under pressure. The friends I made during the program are people I still stay in touch with and go out with today.
Willis Huynh, a Fall 2025 StreetWise Bridge graduate, earned the Mentee of the Cycle award through his exceptional dedication, clear communication, and commitment to growth throughout the program. We sat down with Willis to discuss navigating one of the toughest job markets in recent years, the mentor who helped him stay focused, and how meaningful relationships led him to the career opportunity he was searching for. Read on as Willis shares his journey in his own words.
Willis at the final StreetWise Bridge program session hosted at Morgan Stanley, December 2025
Willis at the Speed Networking event hosted at Herrick, Feinstein LLP, November 2025
Tell us about your current role, your organization, and what you love about it. Looking back, how did Streetwise Partners and your mentor directly help you land this role?
I am currently a Debt Specialist at National Debt Relief, a full-time sales role where I work directly with people who are in serious financial stress. What drew me to this role is that debt weighs on people in deeply personal ways. It can be embarrassing, isolating, and mentally exhausting. I get to show up every day with the goal of helping someone out of that situation, and when the fit is right, I can genuinely change someone's life. I have been building credit since I was 18 and helped my mother purchase our first house when I was 21, so I understand firsthand what these clients are working toward.
What are your big professional dreams for the future?
My goal is to become a top-performing rep, grow into leadership, and find the right industry to plant my roots in and become the absolute best I can be. In this next 12-month sprint, I want to figure out whether sales is the industry I want to plant my roots while also remaining open to positions in finance.
Willis at the career development workshop hosted at Moody’s, December 2025
Willis at the Mock Interview workshop led by Piper Sandler, December 2025
What is one piece of advice you would pass along to other job seekers?
Network with genuine intention. Right now, the job market is brutal, and cold applications on their own are not enough. When I stopped mass applying and started building real relationships, my entire trajectory changed. The referral that got me into my current role came from someone who knew my story and believed in my potential.
Show up to every conversation with curiosity, follow up consistently, and let people be your eyes and ears for opportunities. When a program like StreetWiseBridge opens a door for you, walk through it with an open mind and approach every conversation as a student. Show humility, because a single piece of advice can make you one percent better. This job market feels like the Olympics of job searching, and every percent matters.
💡Inspired by Willis’s story? You can help the next generation of ambitious professionals navigate the "Olympics of job searching."