Rachel and Jailia
Mentor
Rachel is a Boston native who moved to New York City eight years ago. She has worked in various companies specializing in direct marketing and consumer insights. Rachel earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, where she studied physics. Four years after graduating, she enrolled in the MIT Sloan school of Management. Rachel was looking for an opportunity to make an impact on the NYC community by building a close connection with another person. With her busy schedule, she needed to find a volunteer opportunity with a flexible structure. Rachel explains why iMentor was the perfect fit: “Because of my job, I spend a lot of time in front of my computer. iMentor’s email component is really convenient—I can email during downtime at work or on the weekends. Given my schedule, the flexibility of emails and in-person meetings is the ideal mix.”
Mentee
Jailia is a senior in the Boys Hope Girls Hope program at Catherine McAuley High School in Brooklyn. She grew up in East Flatbush and is one of four children. An ambitious young woman, Jailia is the Vice President of her senior class and wants attend Georgetown University next year as a biomedical science major. Jailia is interested in Georgetown because of its strong science program, and she dreams of one day becoming a pediatric cardiologist. She became interested in the field after attending a summer program at SUNY Downstate, where she did a research project on childhood obesity in East New York. Jailia explains what she learned and how this experience influenced her career goals: “Obesity is a pandemic affecting children. I want to help parents teach their children about obesity and health so that it won’t be such a major problem.”
Building a Bond
When Rachel and Jailia met for the first time, neither was sure what to expect. Jailia recalls “I didn’t know what to expect—I didn’t know if we would have any similarities.” As time passed and Rachel and Jailia got to know each other, they began to build mutual respect and trust. Jailia gradually began opening up to Rachel, sharing her interests and dreams. Rachel also shared her experiences with Jailia, and the two soon realized that they had a lot in common. Both are shy when they first meet people, but ultimately form deep, committed friendships. They both are critical, analytical thinkers and are also fanatical about sports. As Jailia became more comfortable opening up to her mentor, Rachel learned what an intelligent, poised and ambitious young woman her mentee was. Now, Rachel offers Jailia advice about her classes at school and how college will prepare her for her goal of becoming a doctor. Jailia even introduced her mentor to her family! “Over the years, we’ve grown to have a bond and trust each other,” says Jailia.
Providing Support
With her goal of gaining admission into a top-tier university and attending medical school, Jailia is very serious about her studies. Rachel holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from highly selective schools and knows what it takes to get admitted into college and achieve success. Jailia is eager to learn from Rachel’s experiences; she relied on her mentor for advice as she chose where to apply to college and wrote her admissions essays. Jailia enjoys asking Rachel about what college is like and loves speaking to her mentor about classes and dorm life. She explains “I want to learn everything I can from my mentor so that I can have a good experience next year.”
iMentor’s Role
iMentor has played a crucial role in helping Jailia and Rachel build a strong relationship. iMentor’s flexible structure made it possible for Rachel to get involved, regardless of her busy schedule. The curriculum used to guide conversations and email exchanges helped the pair open up to each other, especially at the beginning, when they were still building trust. “The writing prompts are beneficial in building a better connection,” says Jailia, describing the curriculum of weekly email prompts. “You can talk about your perspective and learn about your mentor’s perspective.”
Growing Over Three Years:
Through building a relationship with Rachel, Jailia has blossomed into a confident young woman. Naturally shy, Jailia used to feel uncomfortable speaking up in class and expressing her opinions. Through building a relationship with Rachel, Jailia has become more self-assured.
Jailia ran for Senior Class Vice President because of Rachel’s encouragement. Jailia initially wasn’t sure that she could do the job. She was nervous, because she would have to give an election speech in front of the entire school. Rachel was very encouraging as Jailia made the decision to run and provided advice about the speech. This confidence was crucial to Jailia’s success—she won the election and holds the position. “Through Rachel’s support, I’ve learned to become a leader,” explains Jailia. “She instilled confidence in me and helped me believe I could get elected.”
Rachel describes the powerful impact of watching Jailia grow into a confident young woman over the course of three years: “It has been a pleasure helping Jailia come out of her shell. I have learned so much about her perspective on the world and how it is shaped by where she comes from. Her perspective is so well-formed; she is well beyond a high school student.” Rachel looks forward to seeing Jailia continue to blossom this year and as she fulfills her dream of entering college.
