Last night, we held our annual Mentor Match, during which our high school Scholars meet their mentor for the very first time. We see mentorship as a pillar of our Scholars success model! Beyond the mentorship our Scholars receive from our staff, we connect our Scholars to trained adult mentors who are leaders in our Pierce County community. Through our 36 years, we’ve seen mentorship expand our Scholars’ social support networks and improve their academic, social, and economic prospects. According to The National Mentoring Partnership, young adults who are at-risk but have a mentor are 130% more likely to hold leadership positions than those without mentors.
We see mentorship as a pillar of our Scholars success model! Beyond the mentorship our Scholars receive from our staff, we connect our Scholars to trained adult mentors who are leaders in our Pierce County community.
While we have historically held Mentor Match in January of our Scholars’ senior year, our Director of Scholar Support, Tiffany Williams, shifted the matching timeline so mentors could guide Scholars through the college application process, an often stressful time in a young person’s life. Mentorship doesn’t just stop with school matters, however. Mentors and mentees practically become family as mentors guide their mentee through personal challenges, breakups, job interviews, and so much more throughout their five-year relationship.
Our mentors represent the wealth of talent and experience of Pierce County. We always look to ensure our Scholars can see themselves in the mentors we choose. Tapping into the 75 community members who expressed interest in mentoring at our Stand Up & Cheer luncheon, Tiffany curated mentor/mentee matches based on personality, hobbies, and our Scholars’ prospective academic and career interests. While some Scholars requested mentors from the same race, gender, and sexual orientation, others, for example, were adamant that above all else their mentor shared their passion for shoes!
The evening was filled with pizza, deep conversations, and an exceptionally impressive game of Jenga. We are excited for our Scholars to go forward in their postsecondary lives with a mentor by their side. And we want to thank our 30 mentors, four of whom are Palmer alum, for giving the greatest gifts to Pierce County’s future: time, wisdom, and support!