Kristen Fuhs Wells, communications director, Indiana Humanities Council

October is Arts & Humanities Month, which means 31 days of thinking, reading, talking and listening—through which we can all create a stronger, more vibrant community. Here are five must-dos on my personal list:

IDADA (Indianapolis Downtown Arts and Dealers Association) First Friday tour. There’s no better way to spend a Friday night in Indy than to wander from gallery to studio to performance space. Start at our place—the Meredith Nicholson Home (1500 N. Delaware St.)—for a discussion about how schools can serve as catalysts for urban renewal.

Wallow in your Hoosier-ness. Indiana authors, artists, musicians and poets will showcase their talents at An Evening in Brown County on Sunday, Oct. 11. I’m looking forward to Hoosier wine and beer, plus tapas made from locally grown food. here.

Travel back in time. I’ll explore the religious and visual culture of 17th-century Spain and Latin America–for free. Sacred Spain: Art and Belief in the Spanish World, opens Oct. 11 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. It features 80 works of art, including the legendary Crown of the Andes, an actual crown set with 450 emeralds.

Start a book club. If you’re like me and haven’t joined or started a club yet, it’s time. The Indiana Humanities Council will even lend you the books, for free.

Take a road trip. I’m planning to take advantage of the great weather and scenery that October offers and head north, south, east and west, knowing that wherever I go I’ll find a great museum or Hoosier landmark.

Check out the Indiana Humanities Council for a full 31-day guide to humanities events around Indiana.

Fresh out of college, I clamored for a mentor, convinced it would help my career. But when I didn’t find a structured program to help me identify a wise adviser, I settled for going it alone.

A funny thing happened along the way. I landed a job and discovered that I was surrounded by mentors. I didn’t need to sign up to receive one—I had instant access to 25. Add in clients, professors and classmates, and I was instantly linked in to the city’s best PR minds.

During the last several years, I’ve taken advantage of that network and learned more than I ever could with a single, designated mentor. I’ve talked to colleagues, friends, bosses and protégés about the industry, mistakes to avoid and opportunities to grasp. We shared successes and failures over informal lunches, cocktails and business trips—not once-a-quarter scheduled coffee breaks.

My message here is not to dissuade anyone from seeking out a mentor. Instead, it’s to point out something it took me several years to realize: Everyone is a mentor—even someone who graduated more recently than you did. Whether it’s teaching a supervisor about new techniques or sharing best practices with a newbie, we all have something to offer, and to learn.

How have you been mentored in the past month? How have you acted as a mentor? And what did you learn?