As an iMentor Program Manager, I have many roles:
- I teach weekly classroom sessions to iMentor students
- I facilitate monthly events for students and their mentors
- I support approximately 100 pairs enrolled in our program
- I guide students & mentors through our research-based curriculum so that they acheive both their goals & iMentor's
I am lucky enough to work all day doing what I love. Event days in particular are exciting and challenging, but always rewarding as well. I facilitate the iMentor NYC pairs at the High School for Innovation in Advertising and Media in Brooklyn, NY, and here is my typical event day:
A day in the life of an iMentor Program Manager:
6:00 - Awake; confused and cold.
7:00 - Out of the apartment and headed to school.
7:10 - Pit stop at bodega for the best $1.50 coffee.
7:40 - Arrive at school.
8:02 - 8:55 - Teach 1st period. Bring the energy and enthusiasm that is needed to start the day.
8:57 - 10:20 - Open up & check 25 laptops to make sure they work before 4th period. Check & respond to emails.
10:31 - 11:16 - Teach 4th period. My largest class of 11th graders means cross-checking lots of college lists & providing individualized feedback.
11:16 - 12:00 - Chase down students for last minute RSVPs to event.
12:00 - 12:45 - Calling parents/mentors, emailing mentors about tonight's event.
12:49 - 1:32 - Teach 7th period. The afternoon malaise threatens to derail our focus, but conversations around college prevail!
1:34 - 2:17 - Teach 8th period. The final period. Before we punch out, a renewed focus and curiosity emerges when mentors share about their college experiences.
2:45 - 3:15 - Quick lunch (Richard's Diner on Ave. L).
3:15 - 5:00 - Event prep. Listen to Outkast & talk about Batman vs. Superman while preparing event packets with a student.
5:00 - 6:00 - Down to cafeteria/herding cats (students) to cafeteria and collecting 39 pizzas.
6:00 - 8:00 - Provide support and check in with ~40 pairs of mentors and mentees. Encourage mentor who was stood up. Encourage and give extra pizza to mentee who had a rough day. Take a moment to stop, look around and soak in every ounce of human-connection in a cafeteria in Canarsie, BK. Breathe.
8:00 - 9:00 - Head home; eat dumplings.
In sharing my daily schedule, my goal is not to complain about the arduous hours worked or amount of organized chaos that happens in a public high school, but rather share a point of gratitude. Although the day can be a marathon, I love what I do and why I do it; I am grateful for it all. I am lucky to be working so closely with talented, aspirational students and their successful, positive role-models. I can't wait for next month's event to do it all over again.
To all out there who grind day-in and day-out, doing what you are passionate about, the next dumpling is for you. Cheers.
Editor's Note: iMentor is currently hiring for multiple Program Manager positions in New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area. Learn more about the role and appy online here.
