Mentoring: The Key to My Educational Journey
September 2016 brought about more change in my life than I could have expected in two big ways. First, I became a dad! Second, I was notified that I was a recipient of the Pearson Scholarship for Higher Education. With the Pearson Scholarship I was also matched with a mentor to help me manage my transition from community college to a four-year school. I wondered how this would help since my mentor lived in Pennsylvania and I lived in Mississippi.
An interesting dynamic
I met my mentor Dan Belenky in a virtual call. I learned that he is an education researcher at Pearson and to my surprise, he had a child due soon. This presented an interesting dynamic. As we got to know each other, we would bond over our experiences and over our children. He gave me advice regarding how to handle certain scenarios, and I gave him advice regarding what I have experienced as a parent.