Xiomara graduated from Regina in 2005. In May 2010, Xiomara walked out of Touro College with a Master’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. So, this mentee’s mother decided to become a mentor so she could benefit kids who walked in the shoes her daughter walked in!  We featured Sonia in our December 2010 Annual Appeal letter.

“The program shows children that they can be outgoing, social, responsible, and academically advanced,” says Sonia. “The positive environment, and that environment involves both the parents and the mentors, can really help a child thrive in life, and I firmly believe that Student Mentor Partners has done wonders for my child. I will forever be a supporter!”

Sonia’s story is not unique to Student Mentor Partners. To continue our mission and our programs, we need your help!

Sonia and Barnard have similar adoration for Student Mentor Partners

Bernard Draper was accepted into Student Mentor Partners for the 2006-2007 school year. About to enter Detroit Urban Lutheran High School, Bernard was matched with mentor Greg Leslie and an immediate bond was formed.

“It was amazing because they began to communicate and meet with each other far more than the 4-hour-per-month requirement,” said Jessica Johnson, Student Mentor Partners Mentor Coordinator. “They saw each other twice a week, attending Pistons Games, playing laser tag, enjoying Detroit Symphony Orchestra concerts. From the beginning, Bernard was a student who took our program seriously and worked hard to learn everything he could from it. This was a true friendship in the making!”

Greg also helped Bernard choose a career path and a college in which to pursue his degree. Bernard decided he wanted to be a pharmacist so he could help others and also learn the new technological advances in the medical field.

Like so many kids, Bernard was facing quite a few challenges in his life. His mother is blind and he lost his father to cancer not long ago. Bernard is also partially blind and has had surgical procedures to correct his sight.

Last spring, Bernard Draper graduated from high school with a 3.36 GPA. He now attends Oakland University and is pursuing that degree in Pharmacology. He and Greg maintain their friendship, as Bernard looks to him as a father figure.