Marie and Laura
Mentor
Laura first found iMentor through a volunteering website. Having never mentored or worked with recent immigrant populations, Laura joined the program “because of its flexibility and because you can feel very free to express yourself honestly and openly through the internet… but meeting in person makes it more than just a screen.”
Mentee
Marie grew up in Haiti until she was twelve, at which point she moved to the United States. She now lives with her parents in Flatbush, Brooklyn and recently graduated from the International High School at Prospect Heights. Upon learning that she was going to receive a mentor, Marie told her parents, “Now I have an adult that I can be open with and I will ask her as many questions as I can about my career.”
Why iMentor Works for Them
Marie and Laura took full advantage of the iMentor curriculum, working together on preparing a cover letter, resume, and competitive college application. When the two of them had something they wanted to accomplish on their own, they made time to come to the iMentor office and work on the computers in the Drop-In Center.
Impact of Their Match
Describing the most important events of her life, Marie cites January 29, 2004 as “the date when I left my country behind and came to the United States.” Soon after, though, she writes to Laura, “The first Tuesday of October 2008 is a time I will never forget. This was when I met you. I was very happy and still happy to have someone to help me with my school work and I really appreciated it.”
In early 2009, Marie decided to apply to the Seinfeld Scholarship Program, an extremely competitive program that awards 15 New York City students with full scholarships to the college of their choice. Marie and Laura met in the Drop-In Center to revise Marie’s essay and discussed the process over email. “Listening to her story was so inspiring,” says Laura, “for a girl her age and the age she decided to take the bull by the horns and learn English—she made it her own and she succeeded.”
In April, Marie finally received word that she had won the scholarship and would be invited to meet Jerry Seinfeld. She wrote to Laura, “This year I receive a scholarship and you really help me in the scholarship essay that I wrote and I really appreciated. You are the number one person who actually spend the most time with me in the essay to make it better.”
Now, Marie plans to attend Long Island University, particularly because the school will allow her to study abroad in Cuba. That study abroad experience, in addition to all of her college tuition, will be covered by the Seinfeld Scholarship she and Laura worked on together. The two plan to stay in touch as Marie enrolls in college and Laura pursues another undergraduate degree of her own.
