Meet the CPE Mentor of the Month!

October 2011 - Jessica Wright

September 2011 - Elliott Ferguson

Think about your high school years. Who helped you to get through them? While friends and parents are undoubtedly somewhere on your list, most of us have at least one adult who does not fit into one of these categories that made a huge impact on the course of our lives. Perhaps this was a coach who stayed after practice once a week to talk with you about your family, an art teacher who worked with you long after the school day and helped you to think about college, or a neighbor who shared your interest in jazz and found the time to share her extensive collection of Miles Davis records on Saturday afternoons. While parents and friends are certainly a huge part of any young person’s development, most young people benefit greatly from the support of someone with an adult’s perspective and knowledge who can also be a friend—a mentor.    
Mentors make a difference. Young people need positive adult role models and a window into worlds beyond their own neighborhoods. Just spending a few hours a month with a young person can help him or her develop confidence, build trust, and achieve goals. Youth who meet regularly with mentors are more likely to exhibit the following characteristics than non-mentored youth:

• Fewer absences from school
• Less likely to begin and use drugs or alcohol
• Better attitudes toward learning and their futures
• More confidence about schoolwork and themselves.

CPE Mentors have helped 99% of our graduates go on to college!

You can be a mentor! There are no special skills required to mentor a CPE high school student. CPE mentors are ordinary people who want to help a young person reach his or her dreams of going to college. CPE requires that all mentors be at least 21 years old and college graduates.

CPE mentors model CPE Values while playing three key roles:

• To serve as reliable and consistent role models, resources, and advisors
• To help students fulfill their academic potential
• To help students develop socially and broaden awareness

It’s a small commitment, with a big impact. We recognize that our mentors have very demanding lives and have designed a program that is flexible to work with your schedule. There are no specific dates or times—each mentor-mentee pair determines what works best for them!

Each CPE mentor commits to the following:

• A two-year one-on-one mentoring relationship
• Meeting with your student once per month
• Calling/emailing your student each week
• Being a reliable resource and friend

How do we match mentors and students? We match mentors and students based on gender, interests, personalities, and geographical proximity. This relationship is intended to be beneficial for both people, so we put a great deal of time and effort into the matching process.  We want to ensure that your personality, interests, skills, and talents are valued and that your mentee can truly take advantage of all the amazing things you have to offer.

CPE hosts activities throughout the year for students and their mentors including: college preparatory sessions, community service, and recreational activities. And when you get together on your own, the sky’s the limit! You can attend cultural events, go for a bike ride, attend a sporting event, volunteer, visit the latest museum exhibit, start our own book club, explore the city…whatever interests the two of you!

You are never alone! Once matched with a student, CPE ensures that all mentors are supported throughout their relationship with their mentee. Each mentor-mentee pair is assigned a Student-Mentor Coordinator who will work with you throughout the relationship to provide feedback, support, resources, ideas, encouragement, and problem solving strategies. Mentors are provided with additional support through monthly newsletters, Mentor Program updates from the Admissions and Outreach Manager, periodic events, and CPE’s Mentor Committee.

Unexpected rewards. CPE students aren’t the only ones who benefit from the mentoring relationship. As a mentor, you’ll meet new people, become involved with the community, and gain new perspectives.

Sign me up!

If you would like to become a part of the success and mentor with CPE:

• Complete an application
• Attend a new mentor training

Once trained, all prospective mentors must:

• Participate in an interview
• Provide two personal references
• Pass fingerprint background screening

To become a mentor or to learn more about our mentor program, please contact Audrey Love Siegfried, Admissions and Outreach Manager, at (202) 682-6020 ext. 228 or Audrey@cpfe.org.