Last Monday was my last visit to my mentee at Port Richmond High School. For our last meeting, we decided to talk about Thanksgiving and how our families celebrate. My mentee shared that every Thanksgiving he assists his grandmother with cooking the turkey and preparing the rest of the side dishes that are served. Together we discussed the different foods that one would traditionally eat for Thanksgiving including stuffing, string beans, mushrooms, regular potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc. and the variations in preparing them. Through his explanations, I noticed that we have similarities in how we prepare the food that both of our families enjoy on Thanksgiving.

After discussing Thanksgiving, I asked him the questions found on the “Mentee” Student Survey. I wish that we had received this survey earlier in our meetings with our mentee so it could have served as an ice breaker to allow us to get to know our mentees better. I also believe that it would have provided great discussion topics to utilize during our meetings.

Overall, I am happy that I had the opportunity to be a mentor for a student at Port Richmond High School. This was a new and exciting experience for me. I gained new social skills and learned how to be a proper role model for those younger than me. Although I was apprehensive about being a mentor, I really came to enjoy spending my Monday mornings at Port Richmond High School visiting my mentee. I hope that I successfully did my job as mentor and gave my mentee options to consider as he plans for his future.