Mentorship is a key part of my identity. There is something special about seeing someone’s face light up in understanding while I teach them a new concept or when I guide them though a tough skill. In a world that can feel out of one’s control, mentorship is a great way to make a real, observable difference.
Over the years, I have mentored people in many different organizations and contexts. While the skills that I learned and the lessons that I have taken away differed in each mentorship setting, the reasons why I keep coming back to mentor people again and again remain the same: the visible positive impact that I can have on others.
Troop Guide
I was a troop guide in the troop twice, each for six-month terms. My responsibilities as troop guide was to guide younger scouts in the beginning of their scouting journey and to teach them the required basic skill and knowledge expected of every scout. During my first term as troop guide in 2019, I In addition, due to the unusual circumstances during the pandemic, I was given two young scouts to mentor personally.
Junior Assistant Scoutmaster
While I held the Junior Assistant Scoutmaster (JASM) leadership position, my responsibility was to advise and coach the senior leadership of my troop. Coaching senior scouts was nothing like mentoring younger scouts: instead of teaching basic knowledge and skills to young scouts as I did as a troop guide, as JASM I was helping some of the most experienced scouts in the troop lead even better.
Peer Mentors
As the end of my time in Scouting, when I turned 18, drew ever nearer, I looked for other activities to fill the void for the last year I will remain at home. Since mentorship was such a large part of my scouting experience, I joined my school’s foremost mentorship organization, Peer Mentors. The mission of Peer Mentors is to brighten the Chadwick community and to make it more harmonious, happier, and more fulfilling to be a part of. One key method the Peer Mentors uses to fulfill this goal is by mentoring new freshman students to help them seamlessly fit into the Chadwick Community. As a member of Peer Mentors, I was given two new rising freshmen to mentor.