Family of Champions: National Mentor Month
By: Esther Yang, Volunteer Engagement Manager
We kick off National Mentor Month with some reflections on the role of a Mentor.
We should all be so lucky to have a Family of Champions who see and root for the best version of you, even when you can not see it in yourself.
We cannot be a champion without champions. Life is hard. Life does not play fair. Even if you're in it to win it, success, however you define it, will be a result of many sacrifices, some of those sacrifices could force you to feel like you're on your last breath of the game. You will need support to push you up proverbial hills. You will need the guardrails to keep you on the right path. You will need company when you're sitting in the mud while you take a breather, sift through a myriad of life path options, lend you their listening ears when you are overcome by an ugly cry, allow you to curse the air out of intense frustration, or offer you mercy and accountability when you've gone terribly astray. Despite those challenging moments, on life's homestretches you will glow when there is fanfare when you're crossing into your well-deserved victory or you have done the hard work to tackle things that have tested the limits of your heart strings. Furthermore, in your quieter moments, your soul will radiate a joyful warmth when someone can hear and/or feel your victories even if they are merely hinted in passing conversation or they are met with a different twinkle in your eye. We should all be so lucky to have champions in our lives. The world is so much sweeter and bearable with people who walk alongside us.
Mentors. They are committed to you. Invested in you. Compassionate towards you. Most importantly, they are a consistent presence in your life.
These are YOUR people. You have mutually chosen to walk segments of life together with heartfelt trust and vulnerability. They might be there for you in life chapters, seasons, or forever. Cherish them. If you don't have a mentor, seek one out. There is so much wisdom to be shared and to be observed. We are not our own island. This is the Family of Champions we wish to cultivate and nurture here at the Center for Success Network so that every student, literacy mentor, parent, and caregiver knows that we are sincerely committed in walking alongside their journey and their role in inspiring our students to become stronger readers, effective communicators, powerful life analysts, and influential thought partners that can shape a world into something they will enjoy, thrive in, and productively contribute to.
My Family of Champions are my former teachers and professors. Their influence and impact did not cease when class was dismissed nor when I graduated. They were the ones who consistently dedicated time to me when my own family was warring through personal challenges. I would not be who I am today without the life circumstances I've endured and their support. I am bolder and braver to speak greatness upon myself because my mentors would not settle for anything less than what I deserve. They are the ones who stare caution into my eyes or elevate their voices in my text box or phone when they see me value myself any less than what I deserve. They are the first ones to notice victory and/or struggles and the last ones to leave my side when they know I'm ready to carry on independently. A huge thank you to my art teacher who sparked my creativity and continued to give me side projects to stretch my imagination, artistic capacity, and carved time to check in on my emotions after-school for years. To my 7th grade English teacher, who I continue to be in touch after 35+ years, for coaching me through countless classroom report revisions and hand written letters that taught me how to articulate my thoughts and emotions both verbally and in written word. To my college professor who has championed me into many professional posts and has taught me the importance of advocating for individuals that are often unheard and/or ignored. To my former professor's wife for being a second mother to me and showing me the tenacity required to remain grateful even in the most complex of situations. I am so intensely grateful for my Mentor Family and the life experience and life lessons they share with me.
This world is inundated with sources that will force you to doubt yourself, compare yourself to others, social media shame you, and question your worth and value.
Mentors, who have walked alongside you, will support you and keep you focused on fabulous you and to tune out life's noises and distractions.
We take this moment today to celebrate the Family of Champions, past, present, and future, who have and will mentor us into greatness.
If you're interested in walking alongside one of our students, please reach out to volunteer@center4success.org.
We'd love to welcome you into our Mentor Family.