Since my graduation in from Warren Mott High School in 2011, I have gone on to take everything the program taught me and use it in the real world. Shortly after I graduated from Warren Mott, I started working full-time right out of high school, to help pay my way through college. I am currently a 2013, 2014, and 2015 GM Certified Pre-Owned salesman and the Advertising Coordinator for the Pre-Owned department. I have also attended Baker College full-time for 3 years now. I have worked very hard to get the education and skills that I currently possess, and Winning Futures groomed me for that. They showed me what to do in order to be successful, and to never give up. I dedicate my hard work to my mentor Dylan, and to Laurie Tarter for their dedication to me.
I’ve had so many great memories in Winning Futures, because I was teamed with two of the coolest fellow mentees, and the greatest mentor 3 young guys could ask for. I remember when Dylan took all 3 of us out for lunch, and to help us with our senior projects, which we all were very nervous to complete. He took time out of his day, to make sure we did not fail the assignment, for it would cause us to fail the course, and not graduate on time. Laurie Tarter, or a.k.a, “The brains behind every successful Winning Futures student” was one of the greatest inspirations. I looked at her as a true role model. Anyone who devotes their time to helping students grow as individuals, deserve all the recognition in the world. I still keep in touch with her today, and she is the reason I continue to want to take part in the WF program.
I can honestly say Dylan Tanaka was not just a mentor, he was a friend. He was someone you could talk with, someone you could joke with. He didn’t make the mentoring process a simple and plain one, he made it complex; interesting; fun, and undeniably the best experience a student could have. We are still in touch till this day, because he knows as well as I do, our time working together built a friendship and a bond.