iMentor Blog

iMentor Marks a Year of Expansion and Success

iMentor Posted on September 9, 2011 - 9:43am

Last month, iMentor’s entire New York-based team gathered together for four days of presentations, workshops, and teambuilding activities at the annual All Staff Orientation. This year’s orientation was especially exciting for veteran staff members who have been celebrating iMentor’s rapid growth, as it marked the start of more than 20 talented new people to support our expanding programs, bringing the total staff count to over 70.

Throughout the week, the team came together to talk about iMentor’s history, success, challenges, and plans for dramatic growth in both the NYC and iMentor Interactive programs. Innovation, constant improvement, program quality, and impact were important themes in every session.

This week the NYC Program team is hard at work preparing for our biggest year yet: matching 2,400 mentor-mentee pairs throughout New York City. While they get ready to partner with schools, support students, and coach mentors toward success, the Volunteer Team is busy recruiting additional mentors to meet the needs of this year’s students.

At the same time, the iMentor Interactive team is kicking off relationships with their first national-scale partnerships in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Philadelphia, and Miami. The team is leading member organizations in launching successful mentoring programs using the iMentor model.

It’s a very big year for iMentor and the entire staff is buzzing with enthusiasm and dedication to use our mentoring model to ensure that more kids succeed in high school and college.

Are you interested in helping us to reach these goals? Apply to become a mentor or consider joining our staff.

From Diploma to W-2: A Shared Vision for Closing the Opportunity Gap for Low-income Youth

Posted on September 1, 2011 - 4:05pm

New Profit's Pathways Fund is supporting six groundbreaking organizations with the powerful mission of helping America's low-income youth successfully navigate the complex paths from high school to college, and into the workforce. iMentor is proud to be one of the organizations supported by the Pathways Fund. Watch this video to learn more about the important mission we share to help young people build a brighter future.

Posted in Impact, iMentor NYC, Partners, Video
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Mentor of the Month: Kel Huang

iMentor Posted on August 31, 2011 - 2:17pm

From left: Renzo V. and Kel Huang

Mentor: Kel Huang

Length of Match: Second year of four-year match

Mentee Name: Renzo V.

Mentee’s School: Urban Assembly School for Careers in Sports

Distinction: Kel is passionate about mentoring and a motivating force

Kel Huang knows what it takes to make a difference with his mentee, Renzo. Since their first meeting, Kel has dedicated himself to providing consistent support and guidance. As Kel explained, he considers a mentor to be “someone you can always count on to be there for you. It’s someone that gives advice, but, above all, is someone you can count on for support through the good times as well as the bad.” Kel demonstrates this by consistently attending monthly events and crafting thoughtful weekly emails to his mentee.

Kel has proven to be a careful listener and trusted confidant for Renzo. He helped focus Renzo’s personal interests toward achieving academic and career goals. During the school year, one of iMentor’s email writing prompts focused on the importance of career fairs. Kel used this prompt as an opportunity to help Renzo link his current academic successes and personal interests to career paths that can be discovered through job fairs. In his email, Kel pointed out Renzo’s strong math skills and passion for sports, emphasizing that Renzo could explore jobs that would play to his strengths, such as accounting and sports management. Kel also provided Renzo with links to online resources where he could find more information about several careers, including jobs in sports that involve numerical and statistical analysis. Through their work together, Kel helped Renzo discover that many sports, such as baseball and basketball, focus heavily on data-crunching, and that many executives need people like Renzo who are good at math to give them advice.

In addition to being a great mentor, Kel spreads the word about iMentor to all of his friends-- he has recruited more than 40 of his colleagues. This year, Kel participated in iMentor’s Online Donor Drive, a “friendraising” campaign enabling mentors to share stories about their mentoring relationships to procure donations to support iMentor’s work. Kel’s campaign raised more than $1,200 for iMentor and he also made a personal contribution.

“I have a strong belief in iMentor and its mission. As the statistics show, iMentor helps more students graduate and go to college – I think that’s incredibly important. I’ve always been a big believer in mentoring.”

Kel is committed to going above and beyond what is required to help his mentee, Renzo, and to stay involved in the iMentor community.

Ready to get involved? Become a Mentor Today!

Citi Volunteers Are Making a Difference

iMentor Posted on August 12, 2011 - 12:29pm

This year, Citi’s New York Volunteer Council has engaged more than 40 Citi employees as volunteer mentors with iMentor. Matched with students from New York City’s most underserved communities, Citi volunteers shared their insights and expertise to help guide and motivate their mentees towards high school graduation and college success.

These dedicated Citi volunteers provided 1,350 hours of volunteer service to iMentor, working on various activities with their mentees such as college and scholarship applications, writing resumes and practicing interview skills. Most importantly, they developed strong relationships with their mentees and supported them to achieve their goals. Anika, a mentee in iMentor’s program wrote to her mentor, Jamie Anzellotti, a Citi employee, “You have helped me a lot this year, knowing where to go and what I need to do to achieve my goals. I thank you for that and for being there for me. I think I may have one of the most dedicated mentors.”

Citi volunteers are working with students across New York City, but have a particularly strong presence at ACORN Community High School in Brooklyn, where more than 20 Citi volunteers are matched. All mentor-mentee pairs at ACORN are enrolled in iMentor’s College Success program, iMentor’s latest initiative focused on high school graduation, college enrollment, and a successful transition through freshman year of college. Our CEO, Mike O’Brien, has taken notice, saying, “Mentors from Citi are providing critical support to their mentees and helping them make college a reality.”

One Citi mentor is particularly devoted to iMentor and his mentee. Patrick Curley, a VP at Citi and a long-time iMentor volunteer, is currently in his third, two-year match. Patrick feels lucky to be paired with his mentee, Mark. He said, “I can honestly say that Mark is an exceptional kid - always smiling, selfless, and always looking for ways to help others. Not seeing Mark graduate and go off to college is not an option as far as I am concerned, so he and I are focused on getting him all the resources he needs to finish school and get into a top college.” Patrick and his fellow Citi mentors have committed themselves to ensuring that their mentees have all of the guidance and information they need to succeed in high school, college, and beyond.

What will your iMentor story be? Join Citi’s dedicated volunteers as iMentor matches 2,400 mentees this fall. Become a mentor today.

iMentor Corporate Council Member Discusses How Mentoring Promotes Career Success for Women

Posted on August 4, 2011 - 4:41pm

Stephanie Ruhle, Managing Director, Relationship Management at Deutsche Bank, shared her thoughts on the importance of female role models in empowering women in business on TheGlassHammer.com. In her professional and personal life, Stephanie is committed to supporting women achieve leadership roles.

Stephanie explains in the profile that through her role as a Corporate Council member at iMentor, she helps recruit mentors from Deutsche and other banks to mentor New York City students toward high school and college success. Even beyond college, the positive benefits of mentoring can have a lasting impact. Stephanie says it best: “We need more girls in New York City to graduate high school and graduate college. We need to give women and girls every tool possible to succeed. If we start from the bottom and give girls the educational foundation and early career support, we are getting them in the game.”

iMentor’s Corporate Council is a select group of senior executives dedicated to increasing iMentor’s scope and impact exponentially. To learn more about the Corporate Council and corporate partnership opportunities contact, contact Julia Love, Director of Corporate Partnerships.

iMentor's 2nd Annual, "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black" Event

Keith Miller Posted on August 2, 2011 - 12:36pm

iMentor’s 2^ndAnnual, “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black” event was incredibly successful. On July 21^st, about 100 working professionals gathered at the Nightingale Lounge to celebrate community and the importance of mentoring in the Black community. This year’s event had four key sponsors: The Black Ivy Alumni League, The Fab Network, The New York Chapter of the National Black MBA Associationand The United Negro College Fund. The event was composed of current mentors, prospective mentors, and representatives from sponsoring organizations.

July’s Mentors of the Month, Kavan Brandon and Bernier Lauredan, shared their iMentor experiences as well as the personal and professional impact mentoring has had on their lives. Kavan described his first meeting with his mentee, Aneury, and how they bonded instantly through their love of soccer. Bernier described his excitement when his mentee, Jose, crafted a long email expressing his thanks for Bernier being his mentor. While sharing their stories, a host of nods and smiles mirrored their own excitement about making an impact in the lives of a student. Attendees were touched as both mentors described how iMentor supported and empowered them through their matches. After these stories, the room buzzed with excitement as attendees learned more about iMentor.

This year’s “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black” event demonstrated one very important fact: there are hundreds of working professionals excited about giving back through mentoring.

Be a part of the movement. Fill out our Online Application– Become a Mentor Today!

July's Mentors of the Month -- Kavan Brandon and Bernier Lauredan

Keith Miller Posted on July 29, 2011 - 2:09pm

Mentors of the Month for July – Kavan Brandon and Bernier Lauredan

What makes Kavan Brandon and Bernier Lauredan our Mentors of the Month? They are: INSPIRING AND TEAM PLAYERS.

Kavan Brandon and Bernier Lauredan both know what it takes to make a difference in their mentees’ lives. They also know the benefits of teamwork; they have utilized their friendship to make a greater impact on their mentees.

Kavan and Bernier are a unique pair of mentors because they have been friends since college. Bernier heard about iMentor through another college friend’s Facebook status and then, after completing mentor training, recruited Kavan. As Bernier remembers, “Anytime there is an opportunity to give back, I try to go to [Kavan] first. We have both always been very involved with volunteering in college and he knows I’m the same way. Anytime we find out about how we can be involved, we try to.”

Since joining iMentor, they have really enjoyed their experience with their mentees. “Even though we have different mentees,” Kavan explains, “we often ask each other about our mentoring relationships. We check on whether we’ve been connecting and any funny things that have come up in conversations. . . . We bounce ideas off of each other and discuss how we should approach situations. It’s helped our relationship with our mentees because we’ve been able to involve one another.”

In both of their relationships, Kavan and Bernier are prime examples of what it means to be dedicated and inspiring for their mentees. Bernier remembers his first meeting with Jose, “Beforehand, I was nervous about how it would go and how the conversation would progress. In general, Jose is a very quiet person, which I didn’t know at first. But when we did the discussion topics with the curriculum . . . I realized it was part of his nature and it ended up being totally fine!”

Kavan also had a great first meeting, “Our first meeting was at Aneury’s school. [Because of iMentor’s email curriculum] we had previously exchanged emails a couple of times and I already knew he was interested in soccer. We met in the cafeteria and immediately started talking about his family and where he was from. I also cracked a few jokes with him as well. We bonded and the momentum allowed us to get to know each other better. I walked away feeling excited about what the year would bring.”

When asked about their most rewarding experience with their mentees, both provided moving examples. For Bernier, it was hearing Jose reflect on the great year they’d had and him thanking Bernier for being his mentor. Bernier further elaborates, “It was good to know that I made such a difference in only our first year of the match and I can’t wait to continue this year!” From Kavan’s perspective, it was realizing how much Aneury reminded him of his own adolescence and the positive impact he was having by sharing his personal experiences.

Ultimately, Kavan and Bernier’s friendship enriched their experience with their mentees and with one another. It sheds light on the benefit of having someone you know and trust in the program. Put simply by Bernier, “It’s been really great having a friend in the program. It’s really helpful to have someone to provide that insider perspective. When you know someone in the program, it resounds much better. That’s the best method in recruiting.”

We all have a friend that is supportive and consistent in our own lives – these are important ingredients to being a great mentor. Share your stories and get a friend to sign up. With your help, we can change the lives of New York City’s underserved youth for the better.

Inspired by their story? Visit iMentor.org and Become a Mentor Today!

Congratulations to the Bronx Academy of Letters 2011 graduating class!

Posted on July 19, 2011 - 10:46am

Congratulations to the Bronx Academy of Letters 2011 graduating class! At the graduation ceremony on June 24th held at Columbia University, an entire class of iMentor mentees walked--or moonwalked in one instance--across the stage to cheering friends and family to accept their diplomas. They were honored with awards for expression, inquiry, integrity, tenacity, vision and compassion. The graduating class was made up of a valedictorian, a prom queen, civil rights advocates, public speakers and musicians. They will go off to college at CUNY, SUNY, Smith College, Swarthmore College and Colby College.

A number of mentors came bearing flowers and heartfelt congratulations. The mentor-mentee pairs will continue their relationships through the mentee’s first year of college. It was obvious to all that this is an extraordinary group of young people who are beloved by their teachers and destined for great things. iMentor and Robin Hood Foundation have been partnering to bring iMentor’s mentoring programs to the Bronx Academy of Letter for four years. We look forward to keeping in touch and hearing about future successes and life after the Bronx Academy of Letters.

What will your iMentor story be? Join iMentor’s dedicated volunteers as we match 2,400 mentees this fall. Become a mentor today.

Impacto Latino: Mentoring New York – a success!

Nicole Rothwell Posted on June 24, 2011 - 1:11pm

Last night an accomplished and diverse crowd gathered to celebrate the power of community at iMentor’s Impacto Latino: Mentoring New York. This event was sponsored by The Latino Alumni Association of Columbia Universityand The Hispanic Scholarship Fund. Current mentors, prospective mentors, and professionals from around the city networked and mingled over drinks at Haven New York.

Two outstanding mentors, Sarah Khan and Alexis Ruginis, shared their iMentor experiences with attendees. Alexis explained how mentors in her life have helped her succeed, and now she is paying it forward. Sarah told how she began volunteering through iMentor as a new NYC transplant. She validated that by giving back through iMentor she has not only supported her mentee to excel from high school into her first year at Columbia University, but she has also become connected to a like-minded community. Through their personal testaments, attendees recognized iMentor’s positive impact on the students served.

Program Manager, Amy Cruz, concluded by describing how iMentor bridges communities through mentoring. Of the students iMentor works with, 46% identify as Hispanic or Latino, and as iMentor grows to reach more lives it needs more mentors to unlock the potential of NYC’s youth. Last night’s event served an important purpose of calling on the Latino community to share their experiences and wisdom as youth mentors. Amy finished with calling all prospective mentors to make a difference in a young person’s life by signing up with iMentor. All attendees walked away inspired!

Interested in Becoming a Mentor? Fill out an Online Application!

June Mentor of the Month: Marc Kelly

Keith Miller Posted on June 15, 2011 - 12:26pm

Marc Kelly and Rafael R.

Mentor of the Month – June

Mentor: Marc Kelly

Length of Match: 2nd year of 2 year match

Mentee Name: Rafael R.

Mentee’s School: Urban Assembly School for Careers in Sports

What Makes Marc Our Mentor of the Month? Marc is: DEDICATED and MOTIVATING

Marc Kelly knows what it takes to make a difference with his mentee, Rafael.

Since the beginning of his match, Marc has been very enthusiastic about getting to know Rafael by going above and beyond the call of duty. As explained by his Program Coordinator, Cherika Wilson, “Marc, is always ready to help out with whatever it is—whether it’s providing college advice, playing basketball with Rafael and his friends and/ or supporting his mentee at his baseball game. He also strongly advocates for iMentor and is willing to help out with recruiting and participated in this year’s Online Donor Drive.”

In addition to showing his support at iMentor sponsored events and Rafael’s games, Marc continually devotes enough time to write insightful emails ranging from college selection and career advice to complimenting Rafael’s basketball skills. He enjoys being someone that Rafael can count on for personal and academic advice. Marc emphasizes, “When I was going through the process of being a high school senior, I didn’t have anyone there to help me choose schools, teach me what to look for in a college, tell me to keep my GPA up, or write essays. The entire process, I had to figure it out on my own. . . . Overall, I just like feeling that I’m making a difference in someone’s life and having the opportunity to share my experiences and relate it to what someone else may be going through in their struggles for school and help my mentee get prepared.”

As Marc demonstrates, being a mentor is truly being yourself and relating to your mentee on many different levels. And, if you don’t have a lot of relatable experiences at first, “trying to empathize with what he/she may be going through by continuing to be compassionate, committed, and genuine.”

When asked what has been the most rewarding experience with Rafael so far, Marc responded with enthusiasm saying, “The overall experience of [watching] him developing over the past two years -- seeing him get more comfortable with our relationship by confiding in and consulting with me on various issues that have come up in his life. For me, [it was also] being able to participate with him in things that he’s passionate about and seeing how some of the tips and guidance I have given him over the last couple of years has resulted in him being a good leader, teammate, thinking positive, and staying motivated.”

As his mentee, Rafael, exclaimed, “If there were four events a month my mentor would be at all of them!” This is why Marc Kelly has been chosen as June’s Mentor of the Month!

Be the Change. Become a Mentor Today!