Regina and Lisbeth
Mentor
Regina grew up in Brooklyn, lived for a short time in Washington DC, and is currently the CEO and Founder of an HR Consultant Agency. iMentor is Regina’s first experience with mentoring. Reflecting about her experience thus far with Lisbeth in the iMentor program, Regina says, “Working a 65+ hour work week, I had forgotten the simple joys frommy teenage-hood. Lisbeth has taught me through her example how to balance hard work with play. Learning life lessons from a 17 year old was not my expectation in becoming a mentor; however, I am truly receiving as much as I am giving.”
Regina Says:
"It’s okay that you are not sure what you want to study or do for a living. You still have plenty of time to decide."
Mentee
Lisbeth D. lives in the Bronx and has a Dominican heritage. She comes from a single parent household and is the middle child—between one younger and one older brother. She is currently a senior at Bronx Academy of Letters (BAL) and has been driven to apply and enroll in college to set an example for her brother. Lisbeth is always active in multiple extra curricular activities in school and is currently working at getting above a 90% average in school. Lisbeth currently has a lot of questions about college, especially now in the midst of her senior year in High School. About her senior year in high school and beginning her college application, Lisbeth asks “What happens if I want totake a class that I don’t need for my BA? Will I still get credit and will it count? What if the classes I want to take don’toffer as many credits as I would like in a semester? Would I have to take more classes?”
Lisbeth Says:
"I'm not really sure which direction I should take... I want to do something that is going to be fun and exciting, something I am interested in."
About Their Match
Regina and Lisbeth are entering into the second year of their relationship. They were matched during Lisbeth’s junior year at BAL because of their mutual interest in Business. In her first email to Regina, Lisbeth says “I am interested in Business and a whole bunch of other stuff. I'm not really sure which direction I should take. Like when I grow up and get a job, I want to do something that is going to be fun and exciting, something I am interested in”. Regina has always provided consistent and candid advice to Lisbeth regarding all areas of her life. Responding to Lisbeth’s concerns of what to do after High School, Regina says “It’s okay that you are not sure what you want to study or do for a living. You still have plenty of time to decide. And, as you can see from my example, your career choices may change or evolve as time goes on...and that's okay too. At this point, what is it that you love so much you would do it for free?”
Impact of Their Match
Even though Lisbeth is personally driven to do her best in school, she finds structure and motivation fromher mentor. Her current fall/winter semester is full of activities, and it can be difficult for her to keep up with college applications, financial aid, and scholarships. In order to ensure that Lisbeth is receiving the extra support she needs, Regina and Lisbeth meet once a week at the iMentor Drop-In center to work together on the college application process. About her current year in High School, Lisbeth says “Yes, life is very overwhelming. It seems like I have no more time for me anymore. And no it is not the scholarship stuff. Please do keep ‘hunting me down’ for scholarships, even though I might not like to do it as much as other things. In the end I know that it will benefit [me] and you help me because you care about me.” Despite work responsibilities and dealing with the normal day-to-day challenges of a normal adult life, Regina says “It has been a blast helping to guide this bright-eyed honor student through the academic and personal turns and twists of growing up. She is making big plans for her life’s goals…. and has made my life and experiences all the richer in the process”
