Monica’s Untold Story
Monica is a mentor from my school. She is rarely heard because she has a small room and stays in her office due to her busy schedule. Everyone should hear her story though. She is extremely helpful when you are in a horrible mood, and she is a caring person. Her story starts in Chicago, where she was born. She has two younger brothers, and when she was young, she joined Little League baseball with her brother. The best thing that happened to her was having her first and only daughter. Her biggest accomplishment is earning her master's degree while she was a teen mom and beating being a statistic, definitely something to be proud of.
Getting the job
She found out about the job through her cousin, and she applied, and she got the job and has been there ever since. She expressed that she loves this job because she likes to see students be successful. She enjoys working with students and being able to assist with their academic goals. One of her favorite things about being a mentor is seeing students make progress in their behavior. She loves when students make improvements with their decisions and start taking school more seriously. Mentors provide a lot of support not only academically but also emotionally. They contribute to our learning process by sharing resources and teaching skills that we can use to regulate our emotions. Even though it is her job, you can tell she cares and is a good and loving person, and she is good at her job because multiple students go to see her, and she calms them down. Mentors also teach us life skills such as budgeting, job skills, homework assistance, and much more. Having mentors be in the school is beneficial for everyone. Monica has been working at Latino Youth for 12 years. That equates to nearly my entire life. She looks young, but she's in her 30s. She also helps me with my work if I have trouble with it, and when class is too boring, I can go to her room and do my work if the teacher allows it. If they do, I can accomplish my work done faster since I won't be bored.
Challenges she faced
The worst thing that happened to her was when she lost her father. She lost her father back in 2021. That was one of her hardest experiences because she was not prepared to lose a parent. Losing her father changed her life forever because she is always going to need his love and assistance with life. ”I thought I was going to be able to see him grow old.” One of the challenges she faces while working with Latino youth is with the students; it is getting them to calm down when they are angry. “It is really important that they learn to self-regulate.” She's right because these kids are grumpy and go crazy for the littlest stuff for no reason. Stuff doesn't even be that deep for real, and they are just yapping.
She tries to make an impact on students' lives by providing advice and giving them resources they can use. It is important to have mentors in the school that assist students because it helps to have someone that is encouraging. Mentors provide support by keeping us motivated and helping us to stay on track for graduation. I can confirm this because she provided me with advice and resources for what I want to do after high school. Also provided me a school I should go check out when I graduate; probably the best mentor at the school, the only one that's chill for real. She always tells me to do good and hopes I do better in life when I leave high school.
Mentors also teach us life skills such as budgeting, job skills, and homework assistance; provide college and career information; and much more. These skills will be helpful in the future when we are having to make life decisions like purchasing a car or a home. When we want to find a job and need the right skill set to get hired. Having mentors be in the school is beneficial for everyone. Mentors not only help out students but also teachers. They can help in the classroom and help enforce school rules. They model good behavior and advise students to follow the same steps.
Julian V.