The Bay Area iMentor Challenge, a mentor-driven fundraising campaign, aims to support students in a difficult time as they navigate the impacts of Covid-19, remote schooling, and the struggle for racial justice.
The campaign will support emergency funding for students and families, program adaptations for virtual mentoring, the recruitment and matching of at least 100 more mentors, and training mentors around racial justice issues.
Christina Schultz, a Bay Area volunteer who was matched with her mentee, Jennifer, two years ago, recently shared some of her thoughts about mentoring and her own path in high school. Be sure to check out Christina’s fundraiser for the iMentor Challenge!
Why did you get into mentoring?
I’ve been fortunate to have many incredible mentors that have helped me immensely at every juncture of my life. The guidance and support they’ve provided to me has been invaluable and had an incredible impact on my personal and professional development. Knowing how integral having trusted advisers has been for me — particularly in more formative years where I didn’t feel equipped to navigate on my own — has compelled me to pay it forward by mentoring others.
What’s one thing you wish you had done differently in high school or college?
I wish I’d operated with more of a learning mindset in high school. I didn’t understand how what we learn in school would serve me later in life, so I didn’t put much effort into the subjects that were difficult for me or felt boring. History was always particularly challenging, and I wish I’d paid closer attention because I’m often playing catchup on critical events of the past to help contextualize current events. Today, I actively seek out learning opportunities in any way I can, but I wasn’t always that way!