Join the Mentor Movement with Stockton Scholars!

As a daughter of Filipino and Chinese immigrants, I grew up with the understanding that I had to
give back to our community to live a successful life. I was fortunate enough to be raised by a
family of healthcare workers and consistently saw people like my mom giving back through her
service of elders as a Certified Nursing Assistant or CNA. My mother is one of several mentors
that I credit for my success as an adult. While nursing was not the path that I envisioned for
myself, I had a passion for reading, writing, and helping people around me . I believe that
people have stories that deserve to be heard and experiences that are an honor to hold. From
my high school journalism magnet program advisor to my AVID teachers, and college
counselors – there were so many people who were intrinsic to my path as a young person living
in Stockton. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to write this op-ed, let alone make the connections
between mentorship and its importance in creating a thriving community of leaders in Stockton.

I grew up seeing my mom consistently provide care, compassion, and dedication to her
patients. She started her career in America working in fast-food restaurants when she was just
18 years old after migrating to the United States. Despite not having finished higher education in
the Philippines, she sought her CNA certification in the 1980s and was soon working in
American emergency rooms, state hospitals, and convalescent homes. For over 25 years, she
made sure that her elderly patients felt seen, heard, comfortable, and supported. I admire my
mom for who she is, all she did, and offering care to our elders– some of the most sacred in any
community.

According to Forbes Magazine, 75% of executives report that mentoring has been crucial
to their professional and career development. In my role as the Stockton Scholars Mentor
Program Coordinator, I carry this same vigor and passion that my mom has as I mentor young
people in our community – to ensure they feel seen, heard, and supported. Her commitment to
helping patients inspired me in more ways than I realized at the time.

In high school, when I was asked what I wanted to do in the future, I would always say “I want to
help people, just like my mom.”. Had it not been for my mother and others like Don Bott – my
former journalism advisor – I would not have applied to nor completed my Bachelor’s degree at
UC Santa Cruz. Without Erica Dei Rossi’s help on my English essays, I wouldn’t have submitted
an essay that granted me $20,000 in Regents Scholarships. If not for my AVID teacher, Kyle Dei
Rossi, I would not have known the process to prepare for college application season. Without
Samantha Wirzbirger, I would not have taken the right classes that helped me qualify for college
enrollment. According to a national mentoring survey, American adults give their mentors
more than half (56 percent) of the credit for the success they had in life. Every single adult
in Stockton has a role to play in a young person’s life, whether directly through schooling or
indirectly through the community we build together.

According to a college pulse survey conducted by Inside Higher Ed, nearly
three-quarters of respondents who felt extremely prepared to enter the workforce or go
onto their next educational pursuit had a mentor. Coming back to Stockton, I was fortunately
met with career mentors who gave me the opportunity to work with and for my community after
finishing higher education. Based on a national mentoring survey, there were “correlations
that suggest mentoring can support upward mobility for lower-income youth.” While I
never imagined myself working directly in education, I was encouraged by my former mentors
and colleagues like Lange Luntao and Michael Tubbs, to take a step forward in my leadership
journey. Their encouragement afforded me the chance to support Stockton youth by 1) working
with the Stockton Scholars program, and 2) giving me the chance to be a reliable breadwinner
with a steady salary and income to help me support my family upon returning home from
college. This cycle of success influenced my trajectory completely in a positive direction. I am
now a mentorship practitioner, who was proudly raised in this community and who has received
support from other community leaders to apply for this role that I now lead.

All of what I am able to do today is part of a dream manifested because of those who mentored
me. I remember being filled with so much gratitude and emotion knowing that I was entrusted
and chosen to help launch our program in 2018, and specifically, to launch a Mentor Program
that would connect young people with seasoned professionals who could give them insight and
expertise into building a solid career foundation.

Harvard Business Review said that mentors felt that mentoring enhanced the
meaningfulness of their work. I agree with this assessment being that I have been able to
return home after college in a full circle and now get to work with some of my former teachers
and counselors, helping to spread awareness about college access and prepare youth for
college success. I am now able to make meaningful impacts on students who reflect some of
the same identities I still inhabit as a first-generation college graduate from a low-income,
migrant background. I was the first in my family to pursue higher education in the U.S., and it is
with my mentor’s support that I was able to envision myself completing a college degree at a
public university. This is why mentorship plays a crucial role in the world of young people – to
see yourself in older adults and to know that there is someone like you who is thriving in their
life and career. Mentoring serves as some of the fuel and motivation to help students persist
past the finish line and into their roles as executives, educators, and entrepreneurs.

Furthermore, I believe that a society that honors and prioritizes youth mentorship is a society
that will have a thriving workforce. A recent CNBC survey notes that nine in ten workers
who have a mentor report being happy in their current jobs. Additionally, workers with a
mentor are more likely than those without one to believe that their contributions are
valued by their colleagues (89% vs. 75% of respondents). Mentorship helps us cultivate a
healthy and compassionate workforce, wherein we collaborate and lean on each other to solve
real-world problems. Additionally, mentorship offers workers a chance at a more equitable
workforce. Particularly, “one study estimates that the human potential lost as a result of
the educational achievement gap is the economic equivalent of a permanent national
recession. By preparing young people for college and careers, mentoring helps develop
the future workplace talent pipeline.” I am lucky to have been mentored by people who made
it their job and mission to support my development and help me tackle barriers in my personal,
professional, and educational path. Because of my mentors, I have established a long career
working in education and nonprofit advocacy – two of my life values that I cultivated with their
insights and advice.

This is why I give back through mentorship and why others should, too. According to
MentorLoop, 89% of those who have mentored say they’ll go on to mentor others. I would
not be here in this position had it not been for my mentors in high school, college, and now, in
my career. My mother’s dedication to helping others; my journalism advisor’s discipline in the
craft; and my English teacher’s encouragement to pursue more writing – all these people helped
me see myself as an active participant in the well-being of my community. In particular, I realized
through personal and professional experiences that mentorship (from our teachers, parents, and
peers) helps us to create a cycle of success where we can cycle our successes as community
members back into the next generations, and help young people realize that they belong in
higher education and that their experiences matter. And now that I get to mentor young people,
the impact of their voices on my experience has been tantamount to my own professional
development.

I am indebted to the young people I work with who have imparted to me their wisdom, expertise,
and stories. Mentorship is a two-way street where inspiration is reciprocated between mentors
and mentees and I’ve seen this unfold in our own Mentor Program. Women Ahead reported
that 87% of mentors and mentees feel empowered by their mentoring relationships and
have developed greater confidence. In a similar vein, the survey found that 84% reported
that mentoring relationships provide a two-way inspiration for mentor and mentee to
learn from one another. Over time, my mentees in the Stockton Scholars Mentor Program
(most of whom are first-generation college students) have taught me the power of community,
resilience, and speaking truth to power. They have reminded me how sacred the voices of
young people are, and how essential they are to the future of our democracy and society.

It is my hope that more adults in our community opt in to mentoring a young person from
Stockton. While I was lucky to grow up with mentors at home and school, Mentoring.org
reports that 1 in 3 young people are growing up without a formal mentor. Additionally,
Stockton Scholars saw a dramatic increase in the number of college students who want
mentorship, with over 300 scholars indicating their interest in being mentored by someone with
reliable professional and educational backgrounds in 2023-24.

As a mentor myself, I know I cannot do it alone. I cannot change the trajectory of youth in our
city without the support of others. I cannot inspire the next generation by standing on a platform
alone. A recent survey with Inside Higher Ed noted that nearly three-quarters of college
students need, or would want, career advice and guidance from a mentor. With a high
demand for qualified mentors in our city, I invite local residents and adult allies to join our Mentor
Program movement. Hundreds of scholars need additional guidance and support on their
journeys but do not currently have a mentor to support them. You could be the spark that
empowers the next generation of leadership in our community.

This is an opportunity for YOU to step into mentorship and support shaping our collective future.
To learn more and invest your time into mentorship, please visit www.stocktonscholars.org or fill
out our mentor interest survey at www.tinyurl.com/inspirethenextgen.

This op-ed is dedicated to all the people who have directly impacted me through their
mentorship – Don Bott, Erica Dei Rossi, Kyle Dei Rossi, Samantha Wirzberger, Donald
Donaire, Carlos Ocampo, TaShante McCoy, Calvin Jones, Trisha Aguilar, Pandora Crowder,
Beatriz Barajas, Janae Aptaker, Lange Luntao, Michael Tubbs, Amy Portello-Nelson, and so
many more!!!