One time, Yohan, Salvador, Edgar, Alvaro, Nan and I played Prisoner and we totally transformed the game into a music dance-off. It was hilarious and an experience that cemented how close we became even though they weren’t all my mentees. I also remember Salvador taking me to his spelling bee at the community center down the road; it was so fun to watch them practice and really try to learn and get better! Today, Edgar and I worked on a puzzle I got from Ackerman for the raffle and it was so much fun, the teachers got to help and so did other students. It took us almost 2 hours but we finished and it showed how he persevered and troubleshooted– a really fun activity for the more artsy type of mentee.
– Hibah Mahmood, Class of 2013
Joshe surprised me by being very sensitive and focused. We played a game of kickball with the other kids, but as soon as people started arguing and the game started dissolving, Joshe went off and started doing his own thing, which was playing with a Beyblade. He later taught me how to play this game called Carom, which is like a mix of pool and another kind of Carom that I know. He proved to be a great sport when I accidentally won a game, and when he won, he went as far as to give me pointers and teach me a few moves.
– Gaurav Thayil, Class of 2016
I felt great warmth when the students greeted us from the balcony of the building shouting ‘Hi! Which one is my mentor?!’ My specific mentees were outgoing and great! My overall first impression of the students was that they were bright kids that are eager for help and for guidance. On this site visit I first got to spend a little bit of time getting to know my mentees on a basic level. After we played kickball, tetherball and finally ended with a bit of homework. I feel as though I am going to have a great year getting to know these girls in depth since they seem to work together well. They also seem to hold similar interests…Overall my first site visit was amazing and I am excited to see what the rest of the year has in store.
– Marisol Frausto, Class of 2015
My first mentee had a bit of an attitude when I first met her and she still enjoys pushing my buttons from time to time and testing my patience and kindness. However, I know how much she loves that I come to see her every week because one day when she forgot I was coming, she ran all the way to the school from her house to spend time with me…When I first asked my second mentee what she wanted to be when she grew up, she said ‘a babysitter.’ I was taken aback by this statement. I was accustomed to kids saying a doctor, a teacher, or even an astronaut. When I asked her teacher about it, she put the statement in context: my mentee’s sister was a nanny for another family. Now my mentee says she wants to go to college, possibly LMU since it is close to her home so she would still be able to see her mom and family from time to time.
– Annabelle Soares, Class of 2014
Ucla Scope 