Kristen and Anais
Mentor
Kristen grew up in Westwood, Massachusetts before heading to Georgetown in D.C. for Journalism. She currently works as a reporter for People Magazine and is a writer herself. In her earlier years, Kristen served as a counselor to peers as well as at traveling sports camps. Since she moved to New York City four years ago, Kristen has always been involved in community service in one way or another. When Molly Lopez, a former colleague of Kristen’s and current iMentor Development Manager, got the word out about mentoring, Kristen decided it was the perfect way to reach out to New York City’s youth. She had not mentored formally before, but has taken to it with a natural ease.
Mentee
Anais (Ana) is a current junior at Brooklyn International High School. She was born in Cameroon and lived in Paris, France for some time before arriving in the United States in the spring of 2008. She is an avid writer, having written several novels in French, and is aiming to write her first in English this year. Ana is a motivated student in school and very interested in history, drawing and fashion design (her favorite designers are Armani and Chanel). Ana recently began an internship at a newspaper. Her family recently moved from Brooklyn to the Bronx, and Ana is enjoying settling into her new home.
Why iMentor Works for Them
As a busy professional who wanted to give back, Kristen finds that iMentor makes volunteering easy to fit in. She mentions that she enjoys seeing Ana in person, especially, and has noticed that Ana gets the most out of conversations in person as well. They recently attended an Ice Skating event at Prospect Park and Kristen says, “We had a lot of fun.” Ana had not previously ice skated before!
About Their Match
Kristen and Ana were matched in October of 2008, when iMentor launched another successful year with the BIHS juniors. Ana was excited to be matched right from the start, and formed a connection with Kristen at the Kick Off at BIHS in November, 2008. Anais brought her younger sister along to meet Kristen, and the three chatted at a table inthe school’s art room for the majority of the event. After the event, Kristen was careful to make sure that Anais and her sister felt safe traveling home and that they had subway fare. This care for Anais and her family is something that Kristen continued to exhibit over the next several months as she began to coordinate with Anais’ father to offer directions and information on iMentor events. Looking to the future, Anais and Kristen have made plans to meet twice this month, once at the Drop In Center to explore college options, and again during a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Furthermore, they are working on scheduling a visit to Kristen’s office at People Magazine.
Impact of Their Match
Kristen and Ana have a healthy email correspondence, updating each other on new life events, world news, and of course, responding to the weekly iMentor writing prompts. Recently, Kristen shared her thoughts on attending the historic Inauguration in Washington D.C. The pair have also discussed college essays, healthy relationships and embarrassing high school moments. Both creative writers, Ana and Kristen have been able to connect on issues of writing. Ana shares her ideas forstories with Kristen, as well as questions or concerns she has about the process of creating her stories. Kristen mentioned that Ana is very skilled at “coming up with sophisticated plot lines” and they have been working to flesh out the details of her protagonists. Though Ana currently finds it easier to express herself in French, she has made it a goal to write a novel in English and has reached out to Kristen for guidance. Kristen encourages Ana in their weekly emails, asking for the latest on her stories and life, and reminding her that, “it just takes a little practice!”
