Student mentoring at Palo Alto College is one pathway to change lives for the better, especially as people return to campus after the challenging pandemic years.Mentoring comes from the Greek story of Athena transforming into a young man named Mentor, who takes a shining to the wandering Odysseus. She inspires through wisdom and action.
We cannot afford not to mentor someone. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit globally, education in all its forms took a nosedive. Classrooms were disrupted and lessons shattered, and enthusiasm reached its nadir. Since returning to campus post-pandemic, I have observed more students than ever having anxiety-related issues. Although my evidence is anecdotal, it stands to reason that post-pandemic stress disorders have negatively affected students in ways we cannot measure.
Like the beautiful art of Kintsugi , it can be applied metaphorically to many of our students who have unseen scars. These unseen scars are the direct result of post-pandemic stress disorders. A mentor, however, can take those scars and turn them into stars. Words of kindness, respect and understanding can heal unseen scars. And mentors come from all walks of life to inspire and transform through words, actions and wisdom.
Additionally, Palo Alto College has been part of the award-winning Ascender program under the aegis of Catch the Next Inc. since 2012. This program helped me compile our mentors’ testimonials into a book, “Catching Dreams: A Collection of Inspiring Mentor Stories.” In the book, mentors share stories how they overcame their own challenges and inspired students to transform their setbacks into comebacks. The book is now available on Amazon, and all royalties are donated for student scholarships.
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