What's New @ iMentor

You are invited to join us on February 20 at iMentor’s signature iConnect event of the year, Getting to Graduation: Looking Beyond Academics for College Success, at Morgan Stanley’s headquarters in New York. This dynamic panel discussion will feature leaders in education, mentoring, and college readiness addressing the critical importance of college success and completion in ensuring the lifetime employment and earning potential of today’s youth. The event will culminate with a wine and cheese reception where you can meet, mingle, and get to know iMentor volunteers, partners, and supporters, and learn more about the communities we serve.

With iMentor’s own Chief Program Officer Tarika Barrett, Ph.D. serving as moderator, panelists will explore factors behind the college graduation gap for low-income students, and how schools, individuals, and communities can provide support—beyond academics—to young people on their path to success. Panelists, all of whom are on the frontlines of these issues in their daily work, include the Executive Director of the New York City Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Readiness Vanda Belusic-Vollor, Managing Director of New Profit, Inc., and iMentor Board Member Doug Borchard, and Deputy Director of New York University’s Metropolitan Center for Urban Education Edward Fergus-Arcia, Ph.D.

Last year’s iConnect event held at Google was a huge success, bringing together our mentors, supporters, and community partners to learn about making school relevant to students’ lives and career goals, improving curriculum, and integrating technology inside and outside of the classroom.

Don’t miss the opportunity to join us for this inspirational evening. Get your ticket today.

Deena, a former City Year service corps member, has returned to the organization’s fold to mentor a student in City Year’s first mentoring program, cyMentor. City Year partnered with iMentor in 2011 to launch cy-Mentor, a program in the iMentor model, at Mastery Charter School - Shoemaker Campus in West Philadelphia. The program supports City Year’s mission to help students nationwide who are at risk of dropping out to reach 10^th grade on track and on time. The cyMentor program provides the additional support needed to ensure that Mastery Charter School 10^th and 11^th graders build skills to graduate high school college-ready. Deena was matched with Kim, a junior at Mastery, in 2011—and in just one year, she has already seen her mentee grow more confident and focused on applying to college.

When Kim was first introduced to Deena, Kim was a bit shy and anxious about sharing her fears, hopes, and goals with an adult she had never met before. Over the course of the year, Deena and Kim took full advantage of monthly in-person events to get to know one another better, discuss Kim’s progress in school, and identify resources for the college application process. They also wrote detailed weekly e-mails to each other, building a solid foundation of trust and staying up-to-date on their progress toward Kim’s college preparation goals. The pair also focused on helping Kim develop stronger test-taking strategies and keep from overthinking her approach, which had been getting in the way of her success. “Kim is a very driven individual who can be hard on herself,” said Deena, who recognizes how mentoring can support students overcome common challenges. Additionally, Deena has assisted Kim in tracking down community service opportunities for extra class credit, which she can also list on her college résumé.

As a result of their hard work together, Kim has grown into a more open, outgoing student who confides in Deena and eagerly looks forward to seeing her at monthly events. Kim has also made strides toward being ready for college and has identified psychology or social work as a potential career path. When asked what she has learned from her mentor this year, Kim said: “To never be afraid, to assert yourself, and to go for what you want.” 

Are you an iMi partner with your own pair success story to share? We’d love to hear from you. Please submit stories to Hanh Tran, Director of Partnerships for iMentor Interactive, via e-mail at hanh@imentor.org.

Today marks the end of an era for iMentor—our president, Caroline Kim Oh, is concluding her 12-and-half-year tenure with us. “I’m so grateful to have been part of the evolution of iMentor over the past 12 years from four people in a tiny, borrowed office to a national organization,” said Caroline. “I’m proud of what iMentor has already achieved, and the organization is poised to realize even greater success for its students, volunteers, and partners in the future.”

Caroline joined iMentor in 2000 as its first Program Director, mere months after John Griffin, Rich Buery, and Matt Klein founded the organization. With no permanent office and just a handful of mentors and mentees, iMentor consisted of a small, committed team that shared an ambitious vision for how mentoring could help young people on their path to success. In 2002, Caroline became iMentor’s Executive Director and successfully expanded the organization by hiring top talent, securing major funders, and launching iMentor Interactive, a national partnership program. In these roles, Caroline helped transform what started as a small pilot project into a successful youth mentoring program that served more than 1,000 mentor-mentee pairs annually.

Assuming the role of President in 2007, Caroline began focusing on board and leadership group development as well as special strategic projects. Recently, she spearheaded iMentor’s annual benefit and launched a successful Women’s Committee. As Caroline moves on to pursue new challenges in the nonprofit sector, she can take pride in the fact that she played a pivotal role in helping iMentor realize—and exceed—its early ambitions. Today, iMentor boasts a staff of more than 80 people serving 2,400 mentor-mentee pairs in New York City, and 15 nonprofit partners across the country.

Caroline has been more than an employee at iMentor—she is an embodiment of the spirit of the organization itself. Staff, mentors, board members, and mentees consider her their own mentor, friend, and fairy godmother. In recognition of her leadership, iMentor Board Chair John Griffin recently created the Caroline Kim Oh Mentoring Award. This award, which includes a $2,000 stipend toward a student’s education, will be given each year to one graduating mentor-mentee pair who has demonstrated a commitment to developing a strong mentoring relationship, overcoming obstacles, and working together to ensure the mentee is poised to succeed in college. 

Confident that iMentor will always be a part of her life, Caroline will continue to lead iMentor’s Women’s Committee and volunteer as a mentor. “Anyone who knows me understands that I’ll never really ‘leave’ iMentor,” said Caroline. “I’m happy I can stay involved with our students, mentors, supporters, and staff in the coming years.”

At iMentor, we will miss Caroline’s daily presence but will benefit from her lasting legacy and continued contributions to the iMentor community. The entire iMentor staff joins our CEO, Mike O’Brien, and our board in wishing Caroline well in her next adventure.