Mentor Profile: Virtual Mentorship Becomes Joyful Reality
Written by: Christie Robins Watson
Mid-Covid Pandemic, Janet Parent, a Silicon Valley mother of four, joined The Reach Foundation’s team as a mentor online.
Parent’s San Jose-based students, who she adopted as seniors in high school, face financial and family hardships. Volunteering with Reach has made Parent more aware of the challenges that many young people face in trying to gain a higher education. Covid only added to their responsibilities, such as helping nieces and nephews with their school work while learning remotely.
“I honestly didn’t realize there were so many hurdles for most first-generation college students. There are a lot of sacrifices that have to be made, and that’s been a little heartbreaking to see.”
Parent highlights one of the major sacrifices students make is working hard for several years at school and at their jobs, only to forgo attending their dream colleges, by living at home and attending a local college, in order to avoid crushing debt.
“What the Reach program offers to these students is absolutely life-changing, not just in terms of scholarships, but mainly through the one-on-one help and attention they get on a weekly basis.”
Although Parent holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources and an MBA, and her two oldest daughters have been through the college application process, she says they didn’t need much help from her.
“So some of the things I had to help these students with was new to me, and I wanted to make sure I was always helping to steer them in the right direction!” shares Parent about the two first-generation students she has helped reach their post-high school goals so far.
This is accomplished with weekly training meetings for mentors before their students join their mentoring calls to receive guidance navigating the FAFSA application, writing college essays, applying for scholarships, and much more.
Parent offers advice to those considering mentorships. “Don’t be intimidated if you don’t feel like you don’t know enough to help your student. Even when the answer is, ‘I don’t know, but I will find out,’ the help you are offering is invaluable. Just be you and offer what you have. Your willingness to help is enough!”
In the past 2 and a half years, Parent has watched both of her students develop more confidence as they have met deadlines and other challenges, and have been successful in reaching their goals. Her role as a mentor is to help them reach their goals through guiding, providing, and sustaining.
“Ultimately, the most important thing a mentor can do is to encourage students and help them develop the skills and confidence they need to sustain their efforts and continue their success and hard work through their college experience and long after that is over.”
Her favorite moments as a Reach mentor have been witnessing the pay-offs of her students’ hard work. One of her students opened his first acceptance to college while they were on a mentoring video call together.
“It was the most rewarding experience ever to see his excitement, especially as he ran and shared the news with his family!”
With her second student, whom she is currently mentoring as a freshman at San Jose State University, the pay-off came when Parent had the privilege of sharing the news with her that she had been selected as a Reach scholar.
“I’ll never forget those two moments.”
The next magical moment Parent is anticipating? Meeting her Reach scholar for the first time in person.