True stories, Real people: Illustrated animations to ensure confidentiality.
Not having children of my own, I felt a strong desire to have young people in my life—to stay young at heart and in touch with the times! More importantly, I knew I could play a meaningful role in a child’s life, just as they could in mine. I believe a good mentor should be dependable, a great listener, trustworthy, open-minded, and kind. Over the past four years with the same mentee, the most rewarding part has been watching her grow and mature, and seeing how our relationship has blossomed over time. And yes, even learning TikTok dances—despite having zero rhythm—has been part of the fun! Being a mentor has taught me to relax more and go with the flow. I’ve realized that sometimes the best moments happen when nothing is planned. I’ve also learned how to respond to her unique personality and manage challenging behavior, but the sweetest surprise has been receiving hugs.
One of my favorite memories is her trying to teach me those TikTok dances and showing off her hilarious card tricks. Through it all, I’ve realized how much I’m going to miss her when she moves on to high school. A challenge we faced early on was figuring out what to do together each visit, but I learned that letting her take the lead made everything easier and more enjoyable. We both love playing games because we’re equally competitive, and when I leave our time together, I always feel uplifted and filled with warm, fuzzy feelings. To anyone considering becoming an In-School Mentor, I’d say go for it—you won’t regret it. It may take time to build the connection, but watching the relationship grow is incredibly rewarding.