I just received an email from my mentee and while she has many obstacles to overcome in life, she reminds me a lot of myself in where she is determined to succeed no matter what. She previously told me that she had an argument with her dad two years ago, where he was treating her like something she was not. She was upset and hung up on him…..and has not heard from him since. So, some of her email is in response to that because she is very hurt about the situation, but her pride is keeping her from making the first move and contacting him. Anyways, I thought her email was inspiring and wanted to share it. J
For those who care to help, she was accepted into a leadership program at Brown University for the summer and needed help affording it. A link to her fundraising site is: http://wishbone.org/students/view/17
Also, if you live and/or work in New York, consider becoming a mentor through the iMentor program, which matches college-educated mentors with high school students in low-income communities in New York City to help them graduate ready for college. To learn more about the program, visit their website at http://www.imentor.org/about-imentor
If you’d like to sign up now, please complete iMentor’s online application and then iMentor will invite you to attend a helpful mentor training session. It’s a great opportunity to meet other interesting and like-minded professionals who are also becoming mentors.
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Hi Faunya,
I'm really glad that you can come! I believe the show starts around 5 ish so you wont miss much. Things with Brown are going great so far. I found out a couple of days ago that I was fully funded for the entire trip! That is a big stress off of my shoulders. I am really looking forward to those two weeks. Also, about the situation with my dad, his current girlfriend actually has a problem with my mom and I. I've never seen before, and I kinda don't want to because in reality, she is very rude to my mom and there's just a whole bunch of problems there. However, the mother of my sister has always taken care of me and has always been respectful and I would call her but I also haven't talked to her in two years and I wouldn't really know what to say. It is my dad's birthday on Friday so i'm thinking of sending him a card just to wish him a happy birthday. I hope this problem gets resolved before senior year. I don't want him to miss out on important college stuff. I think that both of my parents should be present for that.
Speaking about the topic, I think that self-advocacy is very important especially for a young adult. High school is the time when a teen figures out who they are and what they want to accomplish in life. It is also the time when the teenager gets the most freedom. There is no longer a teacher telling them to stand straight in line on their way to their next class. In highschool, it is their responsibilty to get themselves to the places they need to be. If they don't speak for themselves, one, college will be extremely hard for them, and two, they won't get the opporutnities other students will get. For example, if I hadn't looked up Brown for myself, I probably would have never found out about the program and I would probably be doing nothing this summer. High school is when a person begins to mold their life. This is probably the most important stepping stone in life. Important people come to my school all of the tis my responsibility alone to present myself in the best way possible to begin making myself stand out. No one is going to hand me a full-ride scholarship for no reason. I have to earn it. I have to go out and do my research, schedule interviews, write papers and do everything possible to make sure that I am fulfilling my own needs. Tomorrow, representatives from the POSSE program are coming to talk to us at lunch. I have to make sure that I am being charismatic, catching their attention, advoacating myself and telling them all of the good things I can offer so that I can be nominated for that scholarship. It is important for every young adult to realize that neither our parents nor our teachers are going to sign us up for things that will get us ready for college and after college, we have to do it ourselves.
I am shy around people I don't know, but when my future is in question, I suck it up and put that all away becasue I refuse to let that jepardize my future. So, tomorrow, I am going to be as outgoing as possible because personality and character is something the POSSE program looks for. I am not going to act shy at first becasue theres a chance I won't know them long enough for them to get to know the real me.
I am really excited for the June barbeque. Although it is going to be a busy day, I will get to see you! Also, I am happy that you're coming to the musical! See you on thursday!
Regards, Leah.
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