Entries for January 2019

When asked to describe his mentor Frank in one word, Holmes High School senior Diontae quickly replied, “loving…tough love, but very loving.”  A retired educator himself, mentor Frank strongly believes in the importance of education as the key to success for the six young men he has mentored over the last five years (Taejuan, Kyrie, Diontae, LeShawn, Caige, and Markesis). Frank’s first question to each young man every week, is “How are your grades?”  From there, words of ...

Janis is enthusiastic and fun, but she also knows when to listen. She has volunteered for 10 years to mentor students through the Covington Partners Mentoring Program. When her son left for college, Janis decided she still had a lot to offer a teenager. In an effort to expand the world of her first mentee, she mixed adventure with everyday activities. Their outings ranged from go-cart racing and horse-back riding to painting fingernails. The two arranged outings navigating work schedules and family obligations. Over si...

Tim knows how much a mentor can help guide a protégé or young person. He says mentors were instrumental in shaping him “into the man that I am.” Over the years, Tim mentored individuals through his job and after he retired from Fidelity Investments in 2016, he decided to join a formal mentoring program after hearing an NBA athlete’s experience with mentoring.  Tim was already familiar with Covington Partners and Covington schools through his work at Fidelity, which has partnered wit...

Mentoring relationships, like that of Christy and Taysia, often continue well past high school graduation.  Taysia’s acceptance and full scholarship to Berea College were just the beginning of a whole new set of challenges and obstacles that many students face.   Mentor Christy successfully guided Taysia through the world of college admittance as well as introducing her to the “hidden curriculum” – the mix of bureaucratic know-how and sound study skills that can make or break a st...