City Year
Los Angeles

Today’s story of mentorship comes from our amazing @americorps member Katherine Marquez, who currently serves on our team at Stevenson College and Career Preparatory. Katherine shared, "Coming into City Year I had many doubts about my capability when it came to supporting kids, let alone giving them an academic lesson. The first day of service made me realize that wanting to help kids came naturally to me. As soon as my students introduced themselves, I knew I wanted to do all that I could so they could have as many opportunities in life as I’ve had... or maybe even more. They reminded me of myself when I was about their age. At that time in my life, I was confused and needed someone to be there for me and talk to me like a person and not a child. That's what mentoring is to me; preparing for the worst but knowing that we are built to succeed no matter the odds against us. I want to show my students that although the system is stacked against us we can triumph." #NationalMentoringMonth #Thankyoumentors #VirtualService ...

Today’s #WhyIServeWednesday shout out goes to @americorps member Ana Lorenzo Baltazar, who serves on our McKinley Ave. Elementary team. Ana shares that she serves “to empower and nourish the development of young scholars who will grow to become our next entrepreneur, artist, innovator, and so much more. Growing up in the community I currently serve in was a journey that taught me to be resilient, courageous, and ambitious among many other things. I did not find my way alone. Because of those who supported me in my journey I was able to dream big and overcome hardships to finally achieve my goals. Now, it is my turn to give back and support my community that has historically been underrepresented and marginalized. I proudly serve to share my knowledge with others and to learn from others as well. I show up every day to fight against systemic oppression, to assist my students to go above and beyond, and to be the change I want to see in this world.” Thank you for serving with @cityyearla, Ana, and for being the change! #NationalMentoringMonth #ThankYouMentors #BeTheChange #VirtualService ...

It’s #NationalMentoringMonth! To celebrate the many ways our @americorps members serve as mentors to their students every day, we will be highlighting inspirational mentoring stories over the course of this month! To kick us off, we hear from Xochitl Pasten, current @americorps member serving on our Roosevelt team. Xochitl shared, “I believe our students deserve to first feel affirmed as a whole person before diving into opportunities for academic success and personal growth. In my time with City Year, I have seen how important it is for me to first build a relationship of trust with my students for them to feel comfortable enough to ask for help. By getting to know my students, asking them questions about who they are and where they come from, they feel appreciated as more than a student at school. The students I have worked with are incredible young individuals who show me every day what it means to grow as a person.”

#NationalMentoringMonth #Thankyoumentors #VirtualService ...

In our first #WhyIServe of the New Year, we hear from Jemema McClaren from the @riotgames team at Jordan High School in Watts. Jem shares that she serves because, “I have been the kid who needed a little extra help to succeed. There are a lot of people in my life that help me get to where I am today, and I want to help students along who need a little push.” Thank you for your service Jem, CYLA is lucky to have you on our team serving as a mentor for students! #nationalmentoringmonth #thankyoumentors ...