Michaela and Yan Fei
Mentor
Michaela was born and grew up in Slovakia. After completing her undergraduate degree, she moved to the
United States to enroll in a Masters program at Cornell University. With an academic background in
psychology and business, she currently works in the Human Resources department at Colgate. Michaela
has fond memories of the two mentors who helped her to define her academic and professional interests
during her high school and college years. Now, as a first-time mentor herself, she is happy to be able to
give similar guidance to her mentee, Yan Fei.
Mentee
Yan Fei, originally from Guangzhou, China, moved to New York City just under three years ago. She now
lives with her parents near Sunset Park, Brooklyn and is completing her senior year at Lower East Side
Prep High School. Yan Fei was excited to participate in the iMentor program because she saw it as a great
chance to practice her English skills and learn more about American culture. She is proud to call Michaela
her first English-speaking friend.
Why iMentor Works for Them
Yan Fei and Michaela were matched in October 2008 and hit the ground running! They were both thrilled
to learn that because Yan Fei is over 18 years old, they would have the freedom to set up their own
meetings outside of iMentor events. After meeting for the first time at the Kick-Off Event, they met again
three days later when Michaela invited Yan Fei to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Since then, they have
met nine times! Most recently, they visited Michaela’s office at Colgate and toured the Bodies Exhibition to
explore Yan Fei’s growing interest in forensic science.
Impact of Their Match
Michaela has been a consistent source of guidance and encouragement throughout Yan Fei’s final year of
high school. She supported Yan Fei throughout her college application process and helped her to edit her
college essays. When Yan Fei, who was initially shy about her English-speaking skills, was preparing for
her college interviews, Michaela met with her beforehand to conduct a mock interview and give her advice
on how to express herself most effectively. At the FAFSA-Mania Event, the pair worked together on Yan
Fei’s Financial Aid application. Finally, their hard work paid off, and Yan Fei turned to Michaela one last
time—for help translating an acceptance email to Brooklyn College.
With Michaela’s support, Yan Fei gained more confidence speaking in English and successfully navigated
her way through the college application process. She is especially grateful that Michaela encouraged her
to follow her own strengths and interests when making plans for the future. At the beginning of the school
year, Yan Fei was undecided about her career path and feeling pressure from her parents to study nursing.
By sharing the story of how she once planned to be a doctor and later changed her mind, Michaela
provided a new perspective and inspired Yan Fei to investigate less conventional options. Over time, Yan
Fei made the important decision to change her plans and look for a new course of study that was exciting
to her. She was recently accepted to John Jay College, and looks forward to studying forensic science
there next fall! Yan Fei is confident that she and Michaela “will be friends forever,” and hopes to become a
mentor herself someday.
