Alison and Esin
Mentor
Alison lives in Astoria, Queens and works for The Door, an organization that provides comprehensive health, legal, educational, counseling and nutrition services to over 7500 New York City youth each year. She became aware of iMentor last year when mentor/mentee pairs created and donated gift bags that contained personal hygiene products to young people at The Door. Alison has embraced her role as a mentor this year and has been working closely with Esin as she prepares for her senior year and the college application process.
Mentee
Esin is a junior at International High School at Lafayette located in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. While she currently resides in Gravesend, Brooklyn, she is originally from Turkey. Esin is interested in pursuing a career in science or health care and takes her studies very seriously. She recently took the SATs and is looking very closely at the college application process with Alison.
Why iMentor Works for Them
Esin is incredibly expressive in her emails and Alison is able to effectively address her concerns and push her to think more critically about the weekly writing prompts. Not only does email provide these two a venue to discuss topics that are important to each, it also allows Esin to improve her vocabulary and command of written English. When the pair has been unable to attend an iMentor event, Alison has consistently invited Esin to visit her at work.
About Their Match
Alison and Esin were matched in October of 2008 and first met at the International High School at Lafayette Kick-Off event. After seeing each other in-person, their relationship immediately blossomed. Esin consistently pushed herself to write more in her emails, and Alison continued to encourage her. Not only did they discuss academic and professional topics, but the two used email and in-person meetings as an opportunity to share information about their personal lives as well.
Impact of Their Match
Since working with Alison, Esin has shown a significant improvement in her writing. Not only have her emails
increased in length, but she has also strengthened her grammar and improved her vocabulary. Esin has also shown an increased confidence in the classroom expressing herself regarding the weekly topic and challenging other students to think critically. Alison has prepared Esin well for her senior year and will continue to be a consistent force in her life throughout the next year as she gets ready for her post-high school future.
