“It has been so fulfilling to me to be able to share my experiences and see that it matters and that students are taking the information I’ve shared with them and doing something positive with it. It has been a blessing and a wonderful experience.”
This past year we had the honor of recognizing 16 career mentors for their five-year and ten-year volunteer anniversary. We asked three to tell us about their experience as a career mentor. Read below to find out what it’s like to work with high school students, helping them figure out what they want to do with their lives, and coaching them as they pursue their academic and career goals. Then CLICK HERE to learn more and apply to be a career mentor.
How has being a career mentor affected you?
Clarence Martin, Former President, Eypex, 10-Year Mentoring Anniversary: “I tell people, you might think that you’re tired and working hard. Do I have the energy to help these kids? When you get that look, the moment a kid understands that this guy really cares about my future, that he really wants to help me, that makes all the difference. That excitement, that energy – you come in tired, but you leave energized. You think your job is to pour into these students, but what you don’t realize is that they pour into you.”
Brenda Lever, Director of Provider Network Management, Blue Cross Complete of Michigan, 5-Year Mentoring Anniversary: “It has been so fulfilling to me to be able to share my experiences and see that it matters and that students are taking the information I’ve shared with them and doing something positive with it. It has been a blessing and a wonderful experience. It has really enriched my life.”
Sarah Zigila, Vice President of Operations and Partnerships, Orbis Holding Group, 5-Year Mentoring Anniversary: “It pushed me to be a better human being, taking a look at how I was approaching my mental health, my physical health, who I was as a leader in the workplace. I now see the world through a lens that I never thought possible. It solidified that I was once that young person that needed guidance, love, support, and direction, and how I want to continue giving that back. If there’s one person that I can make a difference for, I will continue to do that as long as I can.
Tell me about a student you worked with who benefited from the program.
Clarence: “I had a student whose family immigrated from Iraq. He was the only income generator in his family. He worked every day after school from about 4:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. He was going to school full time and working 60 hours a week as a 16-year-old. There’s a session that focuses on creating a vision for your future. When we started talking about education, he told me he never thought about anything past high school. I said, ‘Do you want to make pizzas the rest of your life?’ He said, ‘Of course not, but what can I do?’ My student didn’t know what else he could do. So, we started talking about all the directions he could go, and it opened a whole new world for him. It was a light-goes-on moment for him. I realized how much we take for granted, especially students. I can’t afford it. I can’t do this or that. There’s always a path forward for every situation. Sometimes we just need to help our students understand the options and the resources that are available to them.”
Brenda: “I’ve been working with a student at Cass Tech who is of South Asian Bengali descent and a first-generation U.S. citizen. Her culture is that she will stay at home until she marries. Because of this, she did not feel comfortable going to college where she has to live away from home and with strangers. So, we had lots of discussion about that, what that world would look like, and how she would still be able to go to college. She originally limited herself to one local university that did not offer her major. We talked about stepping outside her comfort zone and commuting to a university that has her major. I talked with her about not limiting herself to a university just because it’s close to home and encouraged her to think about the diversity on campus. She is now considering Eastern Michigan University and Wayne State. I appreciate her ability to stay true to her beliefs but at the same time open up to new opportunities and experiences.”
Sarah: “I am working with a student who came from a tough environment. The grandmother took her and her siblings in from an environment that was less than healthy. It was an attempt to right the wrong and get the kids on a better path. There were a lot of dynamics that made a barrier to education and financial resources difficult. I met her in tenth grade and have been her career mentor ever since. She was shy, bashful, timid, and kind of scared. Between me and another person, a longtime friend and coach, we let her know that anything is possible. Over the course of her high school years, she came alive and began to think about what she could be in life. At first, she thought very small, considered a few classes at a local community college. Over time, she started to think bigger, about going to a larger school, about moving out of state, and about different types of academic programs. We talked about her fears and what it would mean to move away from her small knit Detroit family. She started to come out of her shell and thrive. She graduated from high school as the valedictorian, received $884,000 in scholarship offers, and is now a junior at the University of Michigan studying computer science.”
Why is the Winning Futures program important?
Clarence: “Many students are in a day-to-day, minute-to-minute mode. They’re not thinking about 10 years from now or even 5 years from now. They’re trying to get to the end of the day. When they’re in that mode, and they’re not getting positive support, their world narrows significantly and their chances for success, for happiness, for being an asset to the community, it all declines. I look at my role as a career mentor as an investment in the future of our community. I think some people are mistaken by that. They wonder if they have the time to sacrifice to be a career mentor. I challenge it a different way. Can you afford not to invest in the future of our community? The truth is if you want a community that is better for our kids, for the ones we love, this is part of it. It doesn’t happen by someone else.”
Brenda: “It’s important for students to understand that, even if you’re not the class valedictorian, even if you’re not perfect, you can still apply the principles that Winning Futures teaches and be successful. You can still be that girl or guy. You just need to have a plan, stay focused, and have goals, and take advantage of the resources that are in front of you. Then, make it happen.”
Sarah: “It’s important because it gives young people hope, guidance, and direction to achieve the dreams that they never thought possible, or at least get the resources they need to make it possible.”
What were you feeling and thinking prior to the first session with students?
Clarence: “I truly had no idea what to think. At the time my daughter was 8 years old. These are high schoolers. I don’t know high school. At that point in my life, I was a middle school expert, not high school. I didn’t know what to expect. Are these kids going to be disruptive and challenging, or will they be quiet and reserved? But I did know that everyone wants and needs a champion.”
Brenda: “I was excited but a little nervous on how this was going to go. I’m not from Michigan and I was placed at Mumford High School in Detroit. The only thing I knew about Mumford was from the movie, ‘Beverly Hills Cop.’ I arrived a few minutes early and there were a few other career mentors waiting in the hallway, nervously talking with each other. It was their first time too. And I was nervous, wondering if I’d have anything of value to share with my students. Before the session started, the facilitator, Rob, told us about the day’s session and what to expect. Then the students started to come in. We stood and greeted each one as they came in, trying to get an understanding of their personality.”
What were you feeling and thinking after your first session?
Clarence: “I recall thinking how the Winning Futures facilitators did such a good job. They trained us at the beginning of the year, then just before our first session, they gave us a rundown of what to expect at that session. The staff make it very easy to be a career mentor.”
Brenda: “I was thinking that I made it, and it was a really good session. I can’t say that I got to know the students, but I did get to share some things about me, and they did the same about themselves. I was excited and happy to be able to be in the program and ready for the next session. I was afraid that I wouldn’t know what to say or share with my girls, but I realized that I could do this, that I could mentor them.”
Sarah: “The beauty that transpired in front of me was awesome. To see these professionals step out of their shell and connect with students and share their stories and do it in a way that provided this connection between a young person and adult – it was mind blowing.”
What were you feeling and thinking after your first year?
Clarence: “What I got from this program was an amazing experience. It was fantastic and there’s no way, 10 years later, that I would have known how impactful this experience would be on my life.”
Brenda: “COVID hit in my first year, so my first year was very different as compared to other career mentor’s first year. We had to start meeting virtually. My young ladies would point their camera at the ceiling or the floor. It was pointed everywhere except on them. I spent a lot of time trying to get them to put the camera on themselves so that we could focus and see each other and have a better session. One person didn’t want people to see her hair because she didn’t have a chance to get her hair done, and as an African American woman, I completely understood that. And another student didn’t want me to see her house. So, we talked about this, and we got to a point where they moved around to a spot in their home where they felt comfortable. And for the other student, we talked about pulling her hair up in a messy bun. It was a struggle, but we made it.”
Sarah: “Watching trust develop and evolve over the course of weeks, and relationships develop over the course of weeks, and then to see this amazing bond between students and mentors was one of the most impactful career-changing moments in my life. It made me fall in love with the idea that people can learn, can grow, can develop in any stage of their life, no matter their circumstances, their upbringing, or their education. The beauty between two people connecting and caring about one another and watching each other progress, this is where the magic happens. It was beautiful to watch.”
Career mentors are volunteers from the business community who participate with students in educational sessions and fun activities that help students figure out what they will do after high school and teach them important life and job-readiness skills. You too can experience the impact of being a career mentor. Learn more and apply!