It has been an exciting month, but with Thank Your Mentor Day, National Mentoring Month comes to a close. Throughout the month, we have seen many examples of mentors transmitting their passion for mentoring to their mentees. Mentoring is like a chain – one link forges to another and creates a strong bond that connects mentors to mentees.
Esther Leah, an 18-year-old high school senior in St. Louis is an example. Her mentor and inspiration is her high school principal, Tova Greenblatt. Fortunately, Esther Leah is still in school, so she can easily thank Mrs. Greenblatt for being a mentor and a role model.
What makes Mrs. Greenblatt so special?
“She knows what high school girls are going through and how to relate to them,” says Esther Leah. “She knows how to validate their feelings, but pushes them to grow without being pushy.”
If you read a handbook on mentoring, you would see that all of these things are recommended to help young women mature. Looking at Mrs. Greenblatt, Esther Leah says, “I want to emulate that.”
As a result, Esther Leah volunteered to work at TheZone girls’ camp last summer, a sleepaway camp supported by Kars4Kids.
It was an unpaid position, and not every teen would choose to spend the summer working for nothing, even at a beautiful camp in upstate New York.
“I wanted to do something that makes a difference rather than just do something for myself,” Esther Leah, explains.
In addition to the usual summer camp recreational activities – swimming, horseback riding, and arts and crafts – TheZone includes Jewish educational programs, and Esther Leah was assigned to mentor two of the campers.
It proved to be a challenge.
“They had really deep questions, so I had to do a lot of research before I answered them.”
For Esther Leah, watching the personal growth the younger girls experienced over the summer was very satisfying.
“The girls came to camp to have fun, they didn’t come to grow. But by the end of the summer, you could see the difference in them. Seeing the growth was very special.”
Helping younger people grow – that’s what mentors do.
Have you had a mentor who changed your life? Reach out today and tell them how much you’ve appreciated their mentorship.
