iMentor Blog

Thirty-nine New York-based nonprofits gathered for Google’s inaugural NY Nonprofit Awards, a competition that awarded grants to the winning organizations. iMentor was selected for the top prize—and a $15,000 grant--from eight finalists that included City Year (an iMentor partner), New York Needs You, Teach for America, and Global Health Corps.

Google employee and iMentor volunteer Ashley Gushue nominated iMentor for the award, and drew support from the other Google volunteers with the program. At the event, Ashley also spoke on iMentor’s behalf to a panel of Google executives about how mentors are helping high school students in New York City graduate high school college-ready and succeed in college. Ashley shared her own story about her mentee, Yocasta. Ashley says, “Everyday, I continue to see the positive effects [iMentor]…has on our community, and the positive effects I am having in Yocasta's life. Working with iMentor is truly one of the most rewarding things I've ever done.”

iMentor’s partnership with the Google began in 2010, when employees from the company first began mentoring underserved students. Since that time, Google volunteers have provided vital support in to help mentees improve their performance in high school, navigate the college application process, and understand financial aid. Only 1 in 7 students from low-income backgrounds will receive a college degree, indicating that the need for role models is increasing. This year, 14 Googlers like Ashley volunteered with iMentor by committing one to four years to their mentees. Dave Mogenson, a three-year mentor with the program, shared, “[Mentees] love folks from Google because the kids all know and love the brand. Also, a lot of the students are interested in going into the tech industry, so engineers would be particularly great mentors in the program.” 

The partnership effects positive change in the lives of iMentor’s mentees as well as their Google mentors. When asked about her experience, mentor Tanya Brown said, “I am learning as much from her-- if not more--than I hope I am able to teach her. iMentor is an exceptional program.” 

Thank you to all the mentors from Google for their commitment to their mentees and to iMentor.

For more information or to become a mentor please visit: www.imentor.org/become-a-mentor.

Every mentor-mentee pair has a unique story to tell about what they have achieved together through iMentor. In this inspiring new video, several of our pairs talk about the bonds they've built, the work they've done, and the experiences they've shared -- all of which is putting the students on the path to high school and college success. Hear from Jerson about how his mentor helped him raise his grade point average and from Chanil about how she got accepted to her dream college. Stories like theirs are what inspire us and our volunteers to help more students achieve their dreams.

Share this video on Facebook and Twitter today to help spread the word about the power of mentoring and the positive impact one person can have on the life of a high school student.

We're looking for 200 male mentors to volunteer in New York City beginning in February. To get started, all you need to do is fill out our mentoring application today. Women are also welcome to apply and will likely be matched with a mentee in the fall of 2012.

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As the 2011-2012 school year gets underway, iMentor is proud to welcome three new schools, their students, and hundreds of new mentors into our New York City Program. This is an exciting year of growth, as we are also launching two new curriculum programs that focus on college success and provide clear benchmarks for successful mentoring relationships.

Our new partner schools are the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) NYC College Prep Program in Harlem; Williamsburg Prep in Williamsburg, Brooklyn; and Secondary School for Law (SSL) based in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

With the addition of these schools, and the partners we will add in the New Year, iMentor is on track to reach a total of 2,400 New York-based high school students.

“We’re excited to welcome these three schools, along with hundreds of their students, to the iMentor network and launch our two new programs to support college readiness for New York area students,” said our CEO, Mike O’Brien. “The addition of these programs is enhancing our proven mentoring model, which continues to have a positive impact on our community. We are excited to provide more mentors to help a greater number of high school students achieve high school and college success.”

iMentor’s two new college success programs, focusing on readiness and success, further strengthen iMentor’s robust high-school graduation and college preparatory programs. These programs are urgently needed, as almost half of low-income students who enroll in college will not re-enroll in the second year.

The key to helping kids succeed and implementing our programs successfully are our mentors. We are proud to have nearly 1,200 dedicated mentors returning from last year—some continuing their mentoring relationships from last year, and many meeting a new student to work with in the years ahead. We are still looking for male mentors to volunteer beginning in February at our new partner schools. Sign up or recruit someone today!

Mentor: Sameer Munshi

Length of Match: Second year of a three-year match

Mentee Name: John Z.

Mentee’s School:  Civic Leadership Academy

When Sameer Munshi stayed up late one night catching up on Facebook, he didn’t realize that one click would positively impact so many lives. Sameer saw a link to the iMentor website on an old friend’s Facebook page—someone he hadn’t talked to in years—and decided to fill out the mentoring application on an impulse. Now, a year later, he is continuing on a journey that has paired him with his mentee, John, and sent him half way around the world in support of mentoring.

Sameer and John were matched in 2010, and they discovered right away they had a lot in common. Both have parents who immigrated to America—Sameer’s from India and John’s from Ecuador. So they both had experience trying to bridge their parents’ culture and American culture in their homes. For Sameer, the connection clicked because he saw a lot of himself in John. “He’s a really bright kid and just needed that extra push and support like we all did during that age,” Sameer explains.

John is a little more direct and says that both he and Sameer have “made the same mistakes.” John appreciates that Sameer talks about those mistakes in a way that is different from how his parents talk to him. Drawing on his own experiences, Sameer helped John focus in school by showing him how to do it step by step. As a result, John made some meaningful changes in the last year—he stopped being the class clown, he started paying attention in class, and he studied for the SATs with Sameer. John says that Sameer was able to make a difference because, “Mentors are more realistic. Parents are more idealistic.”

In addition to being an outstanding mentor, Sameer has been a leader among iMentor’s volunteers. Sameer was recently nominated for the Bank of America Volunteer Award for spearheading volunteer recruitment efforts at Bank of America. He set up an information table outside the cafeteria at his office and personally recruited more than 20 volunteers to join iMentor. Sameer’s volunteerism with iMentor and relationship with John even inspired Sameer to become engaged with social issues around the world. Last year, he traveled to India, where he helped a youth council in a rural village start their own mentoring program.

Sameer feels that volunteering with iMentor gives him satisfaction and pushes him to do more because, “you are building a bond, and can actually see that you are making a difference. It makes all the effort you put in worthwhile.”  

Ready to get involved? Become a Mentor Today.