LOOKING BACK, MOVING AHEAD: MENTOR PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS REFLECT ON JOYS AND ACHIEVMENTS
For the past three years, business leaders in the South Bay have paired up with students from North Torrance High School as part of a pilot Mentor Program. The program is designed to enrich the lives of students and provide a method of easy transition between the high school environment to the college and adult, working world.
The Mentor Program started out as a three year pilot program of the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Toyota Financial Services at North High School, with 26 students and 28 mentors (2 adults acted as substitutes in the event of an emergency) at the beginning of the student’s Sophomore year. Students and mentors each filled out surveys that described their personal interests and the pairs were matched accordingly. The students and mentors met once a month and each “session” had a topic, such as “What is Your Passion”, “Goals for the Future”, “What is College Like?” and “Resume Building”. Mentor and Student were allotted 1-on-1 time, followed by group discussions. The participants enjoyed guest speakers such as alumni from North High School and employees of Toyota and attended football games and picnics together.
“Meeting my student, getting to know him, was really what it was all about. We hit it off right away”, says Tania Heise, Mentor, who joined the program in its second year. “Our love of sports just made an immediate connection for us. I was able to see him grow, and in the end, he was able to walk away with a bit more confidence and motivation.”
Most mentors commented on how quickly they were able to bond with their student. Jerry Friedman, a Mentor for all three years says, “We connected pretty quickly. He responded to me quite well and seemed very relaxed.” Dr. Grant Litfin, Principal of North High School, saw the advantages that both mentor and students were able to take away. “Although I came in during the final year, it was clear how open the students and mentors were with each other. A trust had been established, and that trust opened a pathway, because without it, it’s just another adult telling you what to do. There really was a bond there and I loved seeing how much pride the mentors took in their students.”
Due to the large success of the Mentor Program, it has stepped out of the “pilot” phase and will return next year with fresh faces, new ideas and the start of a bright new school year.
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