Dory Thames never forgot the impact his mentors had on his life when he was a young boy.
That’s why he jumped at the opportunity to start a College Mentors for Kids chapter at the University of Toledo. The 22-year-old senior and chapter president was involved with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in his youth and benefited from having older role models.
“They had a big influence on me,” he said.
This week, UT students were matched with local elementary students for one-on-one mentoring. Twenty-four UT students were paired with 24 third, fourth, and fifth-graders from Old Orchard Elementary School. The “little buddies” will be bused to UT once a week and spend two hours with their mentors until next spring.
VIDEO: Carly Cox of College Mentors for Kids
The young students were filled with wonder as they walked into UT’s recreation center.
“We are so excited for any additional support we receive from outside organizations that are helpful and benefits our students in further developing their college readiness,” Old Orchard Principal Valerie Dreier said.
College Mentors for Kids is a national mentoring program that was founded in 1995. It has 34 chapters in nine states, including UT, the University of Dayton, Ohio State University, and Miami University in Ohio.
After having a mentor positively influence her life, Olivia Wettle, a UT sophomore, felt it was time to return the favor.
“Growing up I had a really great mentor and I wanted to be that for someone,” she said.
Camaraderie is already building among some of the pairings. Eshon Howard, a UT sophomore, and Ali Alsarray, his 11-year-old “little buddy,” spent much of Thursday afternoon laughing and enjoying each other’s company.
“I just wanted to feel like I was making a difference in someone’s life,” Mr. Howard said.
While “making a difference” was a shared motivation among the mentors, the young students embraced the opportunity to learn and explore a university campus.
“I like it because there are a lot of things at the university,” Ali said. “The other thing that I like is they told me a lot of things that I didn’t know.”
Exposing younger students to a range of career options is a goal of the College Mentors for Kids program, said Carly Cox, associate director of programming in the national office.
“The goal is to create meaningful relationships and we do that by pairing the little buddy and the mentor in a one-on-one mentorship,” she said.
First Published November 2, 2018, 11:00 a.m.
