Program Celebrates Success of First Six Months

Arrowhead United Way would like to congratulate the volunteer mentors and mentees of their Knowledge Revealed Mentor Program for completing their first six months of the program! Just recently, the Knowledge Revealed Mentor Program held a celebration at the Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino to recognize the mentors and mentees for completing the program with such dedication and consistency. At the celebration, mentees were presented with awards and backpacks full of school supplies, along with other goodies. In December, Knowledge Revealed Mentoring Program, developed and led by AmeriCorps Program Manager/Volunteer Coordinator Tiffany Coleman, began. The purpose of the Knowledge Revealed Mentoring was to prepare students for college at a young age. Mentors and mentees met with each other for twelve hours during a six month period. The initial grade range for the program was from 5th grade to 12th grade, but as the program grew, a few younger students asked for a chance to be a part of the program. We were able to recruit eleven mentors and eleven students from 3rd grade to 11th grade to begin the program. This program teaches students that everyone has an opportunity to go to college if they choose to. The program also teaches mindset growth, careers, budgeting for the future and many aspects of college like the types of colleges, how much it cost, where you can live, financial aid, etc. Many of the students and mentors who participated in the program have grown significantly and gained much. Mentor Sebrena Thurton, a Cal State San Bernardino student, explains, “Being a part of the Knowledge Revealed Mentor Program has been an amazing experience for me. Working and assisting my mentee, Leilani Escobar, has not only helped me grow as a mentor but as a person. I was able to help her get some ideas about college and her future career. She has come a long way from the beginning of the program and that makes me really proud. Seeing Leilani open her mind and explore her college options really touched me because she's only in the 5th grade. At her age, many students do not have someone there to instill future college plans in their mind. I want the best for Leilani and I want her to be the best that she can be!” Niressi, a 10th grader also tells about her experience in the mentor program as a mentee, “The things I have learned in this Knowledge Revealed Mentoring Program is how to be independent, how to apply to colleges, about FAFSA, A-G requirements, the college/career path I want to choose, how I need to have my mind set on what I want to do later on in life... I have learned a lot more about universities. My mentor is Ms. Alexandria and she is a wonderful woman, she encourages me to ask for help in school and ask my counselor questions if I have any. My overall experience here in this mentoring program was amazing, I have learned so much. I would love to do this program again.” For more information about the Knowledge Revealed Mentor Program, please contact AmeriCorps Program Manager/ Volunteer Coordinator Tiffany Coleman by email, TiffanyC@ahuw.org or call (909) 884-9441. Join in our effort to give students the college preparation they need to further their education and succeed! For more information about our organization, visit Arrowhead United Way’s website at: www.arrowheadunitedway.org About Arrowhead United Way Arrowhead United Way is a volunteer-driven organization that actively supports health and human services by focusing on education, income, and health. These services address the underlying causes of the community's issues and create lasting change. The organization was established in 1891 and is led by prominent respected community leaders; it is one of the oldest United Ways in the country.