January is National Mentor Month

Time is a precious resource and one that always seems to be in short supply.  Jesuit Academy is blessed to have a group of individuals serving seventh and eighth graders as mentors, contributing time each month to ensure the success of our students.   In honor of January as National Mentor Month, it is our pleasure to introduce two of our mentoring pairs.

Jeff and 8th grader Freddy are in the first year of their match.  Each month they meet over lunch at Jesuit to check in on Freddy’s academic progress and talk about some of Freddy’s interests, which include art and baseball.  Jeff believes when young people recognize that people are interested in them and their success, students will respond accordingly.  Freddy proves this to be true.  He is excelling academically and is focused on his goals of attending college and becoming a police officer or entering the Army.  Freddy values the help provided by Jeff in discussing his plans for his life after Jesuit.

Seventh grader Jerome and mentor Tom are also in their first year together.  Tom is committed to providing the time and support to a student, just as he received from his coaches, teachers, and family.  Each month when Jerome and Tom meet, Tom asks Jerome to identify a few things in which he can challenge himself on.  At their next meeting, they review what these challenges were, as well as what Jerome did to achieve success against these challenges.  Tom and Jerome are also working on one and five year plans to map out what is needed to achieve Jerome’s goal of majoring in business in college.  Jerome appreciates having another male figure in his life that is committed to helping him do what is right for his future.

Both mentors believe that the opportunity to mentor a Jesuit Academy student is an extremely rewarding experience and that what a mentor shares with a student can have a positive impact long after that student has completed school.  Thank you to Jeff, Tom, and all of the mentors supporting Jesuit Academy students!

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