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August's Mentor of the Month
1. How did you become involved in mentoring through the Hillsborough Education Foundation?
I initially became acquainted with the Foundation through my involvement in Hillsborough County Council PTA/PTSA. I was attending a meeting held at the Foundation and someone spoke to us about participating in TSIC. I attended a mentor information session, and the rest, as they say, is history. It is possible that I am adding to my title as crazy PTA lady, and am now the crazy PTA and Mentor lady. I will recruit mentors anywhere and everywhere. Besides constantly driving home the mentoring opportunity to my PTA family, I may have also tried to recruit my phlebotomist while I was donating blood recently.
2. What has been the most rewarding part of mentoring?
What
hasn't
been rewarding. I LOVE my scholars. They are two of the most amazing, loving, bright, and often silly young women I have ever met. They are young ladies brimming with integrity and passion. We have fun together, and each of our meetings brightens my day. They each bring a unique perspective to the table, making our conversations relevant and interesting. I am so grateful to have been allowed to be a
part
of their lives. It is my hope that we will continue our work together throughout high school, and our friendships long after. I have said to them that I wish we could spend time together outside of school because they would make great role models for my own daughter.
3. What do you believe is the key to being a quality mentor?
Tough one! I would have to say flexibility and chemistry are key. There have been times that we have needed to change meeting times on the fly, or times when my plan for our session got tossed out of the window because of something more pressing with my student. Certainly, we also have to have a mutual appreciation of each other or nothing would get accomplished. it is the reason we can have a great time, laughing and joking, in one breath, and in the next I can wag my finger about a grade and get taken seriously.
4.When you are not working with students, how do you prefer to spend your free time?
Free time is hard to come by in our society, and my life is no exception. I work as a small business consultant and financial strategist, providing back-office operations support. That work allows me to pursue my passions, and I am grateful for its flexibility. I spend a lot of time serving children as a local unit Vice President of PTA at my children's school, the Treasurer of Hillsborough County Council
PTA/PTSA, and a member of the Family & Community Engagement Committee at Florida County, the State of Florida, and beyond. I also lead my daughter's Girl Scout Troop along with the most amazing leader and 2nd grade teacher, Anna Smith. In my
real
free time, I enjoy watching television, singing opera, and, most of all, time spent goofing around with my rock-star husband of 14 years, mark, and our wild brood, Eliana, 10, Rowan, 7, and Cavan, 16 months. I could not be the person I am without their support. My family has made many personal sacrifices, mostly time with me, to allow me to speak for those who have no one to speak for them. I am more
grateful
than I could ever let them know. Occasionally, I sleep.
5. What do you hope your mentee will learn from you?
Along the way, they will learn how to manage their time, use new tools, and write a great resume, but at the end of the day, What I truly hope they learn is not to take themselves or life too seriously, to work hard and play harder, to love deeply, follow their passions, and pursue their dreams. Mostly, I hope they will learn that they will never be alone. I will always be there for them, loving and encouraging them, in everything they do. They are my kids now, and that's just what you do for your kids!
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The Why
Setting aside quality time for the ones we care for is noble in its intention. There are only so many hours in a day, so to pledge even a fraction of that to another human being is a kindness the likes of which the world needs more of.
When forming a bond with a student, as we do with our mentees, however, it is imperative that we view it not as our goal but as a
good start.
Social capital is defined as as the connection between everyone participating in a given society.
When we tell ourselves our responsibilities as a mentor begin and end within the one-hour time span of a regular session, we are not taking into consideration the full lives that our scholars experience.
In essence, we run a risk of saying our contribution to social capital is fulfilled until the following week, which is certainly not the case. Yes, there are trials in the classroom and the various social challenges faced by the youth, but a number of those trials will arise on days when we are not scheduled to meet. Sometimes, these are topics that can't wait a week to be discussed.
By making every available effort to earn our respective mentee's trust, we allow the opportunity for their relying on us, even when we are not physically present on their school grounds.
Once that trust is reached, we attain a position in their life that allows us to function as we were meant to: proper emotional support.
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Notable Student
Cynthia Curbelo
At this year's New Teacher Orientation, I had the pleasure of speaking to one Cynthia Curbelo, whom after graduating from USF is ready to begin her career in education. Cynthia graduated from the Urban Teaching Academy (UTA) at Blake High School in 2012. The UTA is an initiative from Hillsborough County Public Schools to help promote the skills needed for aspiring teachers at an earlier age, including public speaking skills, lesson planning, and classroom management. While Cynthia was still in high school, the Hillsborough Education Foundation and HCPS jointly pledged to offer UTA graduates scholarships, as well as assuring them a minimum of 3 years of employment in the district.
Cynthia says the academy helped her get a jump-start on many of her college classes, including the internships she was involved with at both Gaither and Freedom High School. She will begin teaching mathematics at Wharton High for the 2016-2017 school year, and we at HEF look forward to checking in as the semester progresses.
Congratulations, Cynthia!
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TSIC Shopping Day
On Saturday, July 23
rd, the Hillsborough Education Foundation hosted its annual Take Stock In Children Shopping Day, an event where students in the TSIC program took home a grand total of 22,883 dollars' worth of free school supplies a few weeks before the academic year begins. The Teaching Tools Store, normally reserved for educators working at a variety of Title 1 schools throughout the county, was brimming with activity as over 140 students throughout the day filled their cart with an average of $157 worth of binders, notebooks, backpacks, and other classroom necessities. A special mention goes out to those helping make sure the day ran as smoothly as it did, especially the HCC Collegiate 100, the Tampa Rotaract Club, and our many HEF volunteers, veterans and newcomers alike.
Career Day Hosted by Citi
Thursday, August 4th marked a visit to Citibank for our Take Stock In Children scholars. The day was filled with a variety of workshops and activities aimed to prepare the students for the workforce, including resume-building, personal branding, and covering several interpersonal skills that are not typically covered in the classroom setting. Several speakers presented their personal path to success, including the site president, Gregg Morton, while also opening up the floor for follow-up questions on leadership and success. Their day concluded with a tour of the Citi campus, and getting plenty of first-hand accounts of the many careers that are required to maintain such a facility, ranging from finance to law and the many unexpected fields in between.
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Upcoming Events
Welcome Back
The summer months are drawing closer to their conclusion, and with their departure arrives the new school year!
Although the first day will be Wednesday, August 10, our first official day of mentoring will begin on Monday, August 29 in order to give students and teachers get acclimated and fine-tune their schedules.
If you are continuing with the same student, please remember to contact him or her to set up your new meeting day and time, all the while remembering to work exclusively through lunch or elective classes.
If you are still waiting for a match or will be mentoring a new student, we will be contacting you in mid-September with information on a potential match.
Once confirmed, we will gladly schedule a meet and greet session.
In either case, your respective College Success Coach will be here to aid in any way we can with the transition!
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Mark Your Calendar!
| First Day of School |
August 10 |
HCPS |
| TSIC Shopping Day |
July 23 |
HEF |
| TSIC Volunteer Day |
July 28 |
HEF |
| Labor Day Holiday |
September 5 |
HCPS |
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Don't forget to keep in touch with your scholar over the summer vacation!
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If you know someone who is interested in mentoring,
have them visit our website for more information:
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www.educationfoundation.com
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