Pictured above is Elijah (center) with his two older brothers on one of my monthly visits as a mentor.
Through this mentorship, I have learned the positive power of consistency, care, and trust. Elijah and his brothers have always had trust issues rooting from their rough childhood and absentee felon mother. For this reason, maintaining consistency and trust is at utmost importance; otherwise, I will have failed my responsibility as a role model and my efforts will have minimal impact. In parallel with being a mentor, I also have learned to be a cognizant friend who considers their homelife and struggles in order to understand how to work through behavioral and other issues while also maintaining discipline and respect as a mentor. Having the experience to mentor Elijah (now 9) for the past four years has given me a new perspective on life and has changed my worldview. It has allowed me to appreciate my own life and family much more and has given me more of a passion for helping others. I also feel this experience has made me more objective and also has helped me to become less judgmental. I have realized that for any person you encounter, you can never truly know what they are dealing with or what they have been through, so there is never a reason to judge or have a prejudice—for anyone.