By Vincent Ramos
Staff Writer
The timer ticks to a stop and the room bursts with excited movement. Mentors scurry around, attempting to gain approval from their peers to find a compatible mentee. The speed dating process between mentors and mentees is chaotic but sets up a connection like no other.
The ELD Mentoring Program places immigrant students with mentors to develop their English and communication skills which help them feel comfortable in school and build relationships with people throughout the nation.
After the speed dating process, mentors schedule meetings with their mentees on their own.
“I love seeing their ‘Aha!’ moments,” senior Abrina Lu said. “Like when I explain something and they’re like, ‘Oh yeah,’ and it’s always like ‘Oh yes I explained it right!’ I’m glad that we can still communicate even though there’s sort of a language barrier. At home I kind of have a language barrier too and whenever I overcome them and really connect on the same level it’s just a great experience.”
Alongside speed-dating and meetings, the program organizes monthly culture events. There are various activities presented in the cultural events for mentees to partake in.
The events are focused on whichever cultural holiday took place that month. For example, in January the event is Chinese New Year and mentees do activities revolving around the holiday like playing games with chopsticks.
“It’s great to be a part of planning and helping out with events,” senior Trevor Cheng said. “I think my favorite part is always the food. We were out on the front lawn and we were doing activities during the beginning of lunch and I remember setting up a race where the mentees raced around chairs and trees by jumping in corn bags which was pretty funny to watch.”
Junior Janice Yang came to the United States at seven years old. She entered the ELD program after starting high school and became a mentor after being a mentee for one year.
“I didn’t have many friends and after I came to high school, I joined the ELD Mentoring Program,” Yang said. “I met two mentors and they helped me a lot. From their support, I learned the importance of helping other people. That is why I wanted to become an ELD mentor.”
With help from her mentors, Yang took the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California exam.
“At the end of that year I wanted to participate in more school activities,” Yang said. “They encouraged me to join things like Color Guard but they also encouraged me to become a mentor in the program. I applied and luckily I got accepted!”
Yang is an example of how a mentee can become a mentor. Through positive encouragement and teaching, mentors build connections with their mentees that they can’t get anywhere else. Both mentors and mentees alike cherish this connection, creating a vastly enriching experience.