I’ve been involved with America Needs You (ANY) since its infancy, when it was still called New York Needs You in 2013. I volunteered at the urging of a friend, a Mentor Coach, who found the program extremely valuable. When I learned about ANY’s mission and who it was serving, I didn’t need more details or convincing. Since then, I’ve been a mentor four times and have collectively served on the Associate Board for two years.
Associate Board for two years.
“I keep coming back for the bagels,” is what I’d tell most people, but it hides a much more serious truth – school alone will not help our youth succeed, America needs mentors who help the marginalized first-generation students and share the “secrets” to breaking out of cycles of poverty.
“Why do I come back?” you might ask. It’s because the mission only gets bigger, and the impact only gets deeper. Last year, as I was finishing up my term as a Mentor Coach, I came across a student who is from the Dominican Republic, just like I am. She was debating which school to transfer to from Bronx Community College. I can’t remember what the first school was, but the second was Princeton University, on a scholarship for math.
“¡Desde Puerto Plata hasta Princeton! From Puerto Plata to Princeton!” I thought to myself.
I was overjoyed for her and could imagine what a Princeton education would mean for her and her family. First-generation immigrant college students have the unique burden of caring not only for themselves but also for their parents and siblings (and sometimes grandparents, too). It’s tempting to simply go for a medical or business degree or law school. We have a cultural stigma that doesn’t give as much value to other professions or following your dreams, and students are typically stressed about potentially making the wrong career choice, in addition to all the other challenges that come with being the first in your family to go to college. Enter America Needs You.
As a Mentor Coach, you only need a heart to help people and a willingness to be vulnerable.
You don’t need to sugarcoat your college and career journey. You’re not out here to impress anyone. In fact, the more real you keep it, the better off students are. I took on $10,000 more in loans than I needed to. I transferred from a community college to a 4-year school without a degree and lost 12 credits in the process. I dropped out for a semester. I never pursued scholarships or grants. I didn’t know where to go. I never asked for help. As I write this, I’m getting emotional having flashbacks to all these moments of quiet desperation. If only I had a mentor. If only ANY existed for me the way it exists today for many students who look just like me.
So, sign up to become a Mentor Coach today and commit yourself to supporting a student who can learn so much from your experiences. ANY’s curriculum is highly structured and accessible. Topics include managing up, personal finances, mock interviews, and public speaking skills.
Support our programs and help us build a more equitable future by volunteering or making a tax-deductible donation to America Needs You.
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