Mentoring Has its Own Rewards

Patty Hurley lives several blocks from Los Altos High School and has volunteered there for several years. “I started mentoring at LAHS when my daughter went off to college,” said Patty. “I missed the female energy so I volunteered. “

A mentor acts like a surrogate parent, uncle or aunt. Their role is to motivate and show the student they care and help them be everything they have the potential to be. A former teacher, Patty has a passion for education and offers excellent communication skills to her mentee.

Milena, a junior at Los Altos High, is Patty’s mentee.Seeing the two together you can tell there is a close relationship. “Patty gives me support I can’t get from a friend,” said Milena. “She has the experience and the wisdom and I tell her things that I thought I would never tell any other person. Patty is a serious friend.”

A mentor’s purpose is not to shape a student to their values, but to show the student that you care, and this means many things beyond academic assistance. For many students, their tutors and mentors are the only people they know who have attended college.

“When you’re a mentor you show your student you care and that means a lot of things,” Patty said. “You show by your weekly attendance and your interest in what they do and what they are doing in school and what is important to them.”

Milena is an avid student within the AVID program that is designed to prepare students for entrance into four-year colleges and universities. The program, Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) helps students overcome obstacles to succeed and Milena will be the first in her family to go to college.

Mentoring programs are wonderful because they provide a learning opportunity for the student and the mentor.The time together is often an opportunity to talk about friends, family, and other issues beside academics.

“It’s a release, Milena says, “It’s a personal connection and good to have someone to confide in.” In many cases, mentors cover things where teachers don’t have the time to help the student. The student has a “model” to follow who can set an example.

“Milena is a joy,” Patty said.  “I can grow as well as she. I have been around kids long enough to understand her problems. Some are difficult, but I’m here to hear.”

Partners for New Generations work with and place mentors at Los Altos, Mountain View and Alta Vista High Schools. The mentors are carefully placed with the needs and interest of the students.