Dear mentors, supporters, and champions of the iMentor community,
For the past two years I have been a Program Manager at James Lick High School in San Jose for our Class of 2018 students. Recently, I had the privilege of attending James Lick’s summer graduation at Yerba Buena High School. At the ceremony, superintendent and mentor Chris Funk said that summer graduates impress him the most. He talked about how easily they could have given up, how quickly they could have quit, or how they could have blamed others or circumstances in their lives for why they did not receive their diplomas in May with their classmates. However, our students worked hard this summer: they persevered through summer school, studied hard, and earned their right to be on that stage and have their name called.
I am in awe of their resilience, strength, and prowess to succeed despite all the things they have been through. Their mentors showed up to cheer as they walked, and their fellow students were so proud of what they had accomplished. It was a very special moment and I was honored to be there.
This work is difficult and challenging in the best of ways. It can take a lot from us, but in the end we all do it because we care and because we believe in our students’ potential. Whether you are a mentor working one-on-one with one of our students, a partner who is supporting our work, or a donor contributing to our cause, I hope this serves as motivation to you. The entire iMentor community should take pride in knowing that our efforts contribute to these amazing accomplishments. Our students are phenomenal and I am so excited that we get to be part of their journey to greatness. I’m proud to announce that each of our summer graduates is going to college this fall, and I can’t wait until these pictures are college graduation pictures!
Thank you for being part of our community. Thank you for being a champion!
Jasmin Moreno
Post-Secondary Success, Program Manager
iMentor Bay Area
