What is Mentoring?
BY: Kaylene Eyring
At The Reach Foundation, our main objective is to provide hardworking high school students the opportunity to receive higher education and to even the playing field between first-generation students and legacy students. To do this, the foundation has prioritized putting a mentoring system in place to give these kids a real-time professional that can aid in their college journeys. One such accomplished mentor is Rama Balakrishnan, an Indian immigrant who volunteered with The Reach Foundation after seeing the difficulties that first-generation high schoolers faced when applying for college.
She defines mentoring broadly, making it a point to emphasize that the foundation's mentoring program goes far beyond simple educational advice. Instead, they are encouraged to develop individual and personal relationships with their students and meet with them weekly to discuss varying facets of their lives. In Balakrishnan’s own words, she seeks to help these students “become the best version of themselves” and to “lift them up” as they tackle problems throughout their educational path.
Whereas legacy college students have access to professionals in their desired field and people to look to for advice, Balakrishnan points out that all too often, first-generation college students do not. This is what the mentoring program seeks to overcome, and The Reach Foundation overall. Our mission is to bridge this gap and provide these students with the same opportunities that other children have.
Not only do our mentors provide countless hours of availability for guidance during their university pilgrimage, but they also connect students with professionals in varying fields so they can explore different majors that may interest them. Mentoring also includes assisting these students with their financial aid applications, the importance of which cannot be overstated. Without successfully completing the Federal Student Aid application, the majority of these children would have little to no funding as they apply for and attend college.
Mentoring includes helping at every step along the way, from college applications, to FASFA, to choosing their field, and navigating the academic sphere as they obtain their degrees. Balakrishnan felt that the mentoring program made a powerful difference in the lives of her mentees, as well as herself. She mentioned that many kids right here need help and that she was shocked by the socioeconomic disadvantage that they had, right in Silicon Valley, the tech capital of the world. She felt that during her time with the foundation, she has realized these problems are universal and for every student sent to college, a huge difference has been made and that The Reach Foundation is growing and progressing every year
The mentoring program at our foundation provides what many take for granted. These students are given access to a professional who can guide them in ways that most people do not realize first-generation kids need guidance with. It is a vital resource to students who otherwise have no help with completing their federal aid application or what major to choose.
Mentors like Balakrishnan provide life-changing guidance, and she stresses the importance of patience when it comes to mentoring. She asserts with the right amount of understanding, she has seen the mentoring program have immensely positive effects on the lives of our students. Our mentors sometimes meet with the same students several times per week as they go through a particularly stressful trial, such as completing their college apps, which have opened this month. The foundation provides a blueprint for mentors to follow and make it as easy as possible for them. Their time and sacrifices are invaluable, and it is beautiful how they tailor themselves to each student’s individual needs. Whether it be emotional help or teaching them time management skills and learning tips, each student is given personal direction.
To be concise, the mentoring program was created to give our mentees the chance to be given the same chances as the socioeconomically advantaged. We have made a difference in so many lives, and we will continue to do so in the coming years. Our children are the most priceless resource we have, especially in the heart of the most technologically gifted area in the world. They are the most valuable investment we have, and they deserve the best we have to offer, and we aim to do this throughout the entire valley.
Get involved! Join us in making a difference as a mentor with The Reach Foundation. Learn more.