mentor

Hello from guest blogger, Lisa Robinson! With our focus on mindfulness in the community this quarter, I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to tell you about Starfish Initiative, a college access and readiness program serving economically disadvantaged high school students in Marion County here in Indianapolis. The program gets its name from the “Starfish Story,” where a man slowly and carefully rescues starfish stranded on a beach by gently tossing them back into the water. The beach is covered with thousands of starfish, and a passerby remarks that the man’s efforts aren’t very meaningful. As he tosses another starfish back into the water, the man replies, “It mattered to that one.” That same mindful action taken to make a difference permeates the work of Starfish Initiative. They match college-educated mentors with academically-promising, low-income high school students. A mentor serves as a “college coach,” helping their mentee, referred to as a Scholar, to stay on track to graduate from high school and prepare for college. Many Scholars will be first-generation college graduates, and benefit from the insight and guidance that a mentor can share because they have successfully navigated their own college journey. Mentors make a two-year commitment to their Scholar. They meet twice a month, and stay in touch by calling, texting, or emailing during other weeks. Many mentors ask to remain with their Scholar through the last two years of high school to conclude the formal relationship