She's college age - 18-22 ish. She doesn't actually have to be in college, just fall around that age. I'd rather the mentor not be a schoolteacher/professor nor be someone from an official mentoring program; I'm trying to look for situations where she encounters someone that becomes her mentor, but she's not expecting it at the time. (Their mentor/protege relationship develops over time, but it's not the basis for their first interactions.)
The story's kinda based around experiences with my own mentors - one was the program manager of a study abroad program I was in, another was a media personality that I was first a fan of, another's a school teacher. If I put any of those situations in, though, it would be VERY obvious who they are, so I want to obscure it a bit ;)
Where else could she find this mentor without knowing it at the time?
Also, besides college, jobs, study abroad programs, and travel, what could my protagonist be doing between ages 18-22 that takes up most of her time?