Mission Moments
Rei Tedoco
“I wish more kids had mentors.” Rei is a freshman at Arizona State University, but she was first introduced to College Mentors as a little buddy approximately 8 years ago. When Rei was in the 4th grade at Hamilton STEM Academy, she traveled to the Ohio State University where she met with her mentor, Amy. We talked to Rei recently about how College Mentors left an impact on her.
When asked what was her greatest takeaway from her experience in the program, Rei shared how having a mentor allowed her to step out of her comfort zone. One fond memory she shared was during an activity when the mentors and Little Buddies were working together to sell hot chocolate on campus and learn about marketing and entrepreneurship. Rei indicated that while on campus, she loved interacting with the college students and that they always made a point to connect with the Little Buddies.
College Mentors for Kids was more than fun after-school activities. Now as a college student herself, Rei reflected that the impact the program had on her own path to higher education. “Kids in large communities don’t have mentors, College Mentors for Kids really cares for them and provided that. Now as an individual I want to do that and tell others that you can do anything you put your mind to, you can be the positive light.”
Rei is currently pursuing a degree in broadcast journalism and is involved with various clubs on campus. We can’t wait to see all she accomplishes!
Jayce and Davis
Jayce is a first grader, and Davis is a sophomore. Jayce is the youngest little buddy there, and his enrollment information says that he is “very emotional and tends to cry a lot.” A program staff shared that during her site visit, she observed Jayce not winning at a game during skill-building, and he immediately began crying. Davis did a great job calming him down, encouraging him by saying he did really well during the game and that he was very proud of him. He gave him a hug and a choice between two snacks, which calmed Jayce down immediately. Since then, the chapter president has reported that Jayce has gotten much more confident and has improved in regulating his emotions! It’s also demonstrated in a parent/guardian sharing that they love the program because their child “gets to be around older kids who don’t expect him to be good at everything.” College Mentors provides a space for kids to be themselves and be appreciated for who they are as they are encouraged to grow and become the best versions of themselves.
Learning about Aerospace with the University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati students took advantage of a special university feature during a higher education & careers activity in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Library which features a collection of artifacts associated with Neil Armstrong. Neil Armstrong is important to UC since he is an Ohio native, and he taught Aerospace Engineering at UC after retiring from NASA. The librarian showed the little buddies and mentors those artifacts, including a flight mask, an artificial hip that Armstrong developed, and his flight logbook! After the tour of the library, the little buddies did stations where they learned more about space, including making planet masks, learning about phases of the moon with Oreos, and making a pinwheel galaxy.