I’ve never really put much thought behind mentoring and how much it can affect the youth in our community, it’s likely because I’ve always been fortunate enough to have family members to look up to and guide me. Once I became a big sister at Catholic Big Sisters & Big Brothers (CBSBB) and built a real relationship with my little sister, I started to understand the importance of mentoring. It wasn’t just about seeing each other and sharing laughs, but more about sharing our lives. The moment we began to discuss her dreams, aspirations, and things going on in her life, I started to feel I was making a difference. I also began to realize how much I was learning from her as well; our “partnership” as she would call it has taught me that our youth have more to share than we may think.

Having the opportunity to become a big sister at CBSBB has been such an amazing journey. Sharing my views, beliefs, passions and outlook on life with someone younger has been immensely rewarding. Reflecting back on my time with my little sister, discussing her plans after high school, dreams and goals make me realize the time spent with her has been well worth it.

Read the full article here.