Lauren and Lin
Mentor
Lauren lives in Midtown Manhattan, where she works to raise funds for various global initiatives launched by Sesame Workshop, the philanthropic arm of the popular children’s television show. Lauren has never mentored before but has been occupationally involved in the non-profit sector for a number of years.
Mentee
Lin attends the International High School at Prospect Heights, an international school in Brooklyn designed for students who have been in the country for less than four years upon matriculation and who scored at the beginner intermediate level or below on their initial language assessment. Lin is an eighteen year-old senior in high school.She began an internship with ARUP, an engineering firm, in December of 2008. Though she is her own greatest critic, Lin has demonstrated herself to be a very determined and extremely special student, with the drive and intellect necessary to take her very far.
Why iMentor Works for Them
iMentor works for Lauren and Lin because the program is loose enough to accommodate both of their busyschedules but structured enough to ensure Lin gets all the help she needs in getting her applications ready for college. Also, because Lin continues to work on her English speaking and writing skills, the opportunity to write extensive e-mails to an uncritical adult—as well as the chance to speak in person with a fluent, English-speaking adult for an extended period of time—are both invaluable in terms of her language improvement.
About Their Match
Uncannily similar demeanor and eyeglasses aside, the two get along incredibly well and are a pleasure to witness together. At their first meeting, the two discovered a curious overlapping of interests—as an aspiring Engineer, Lin has been contracted by her school to design/construct a new dance room; while Lauren knows little of engineering, she does happen to be an avid dancer. Lauren writes, “With your love of engineering and my love of dance, this will be a fun project for us to discuss.”
Lauren and Lin always make time to meet up with one another; when they can’t attend the large-scale iMentor events, they make sure to swing by the Drop-In Center. On January 22nd, the two came in to work on one of Lin’s college application essays, working on everything from grammar to organization and tone.
Impact of Their Match
As an ambitious senior in high school, Lin is facing a busy, busy semester. Add to that the complications associated with immigrant parents who never attended school in the States and the college application process becomes that much more daunting. Lin turns to Lauren to weigh the pros and cons of her engineering internship, discussing what a potential life as an engineer would entail. When Lauren found she couldn’t answer all of Lin’s questions regarding engineering, she put Lin in touch with a friend of hers who works as a civil engineer. The two of them now e-mail as well.
Through e-mail and in-person meetings, Lin opens up to Lauren about the great stress she experiences as a second semester senior. In between asking Lauren to read her college application essays and consider jointly her future life as an architect, Lin makes sure to thank Lauren for her time and dedication, writing, “It is always nice to talk to you because I feel that you and my advisor are the only two adults that really respect and knowing [sic] me. Lot of others (teachers and staff) don't, but I know that they are having hard times dealing with my attitude.”
