Sofia and Hannah
By Sofia Cusick, mentee
Hi! My name is Sofia and my mentor is Hannah – we’ve been matched together for almost a year and a half with Silver Lining Mentoring. Silver Lining Mentoring is an organization that brings together youth in foster care with mentors to do fun activities together and work on personal goals with an adult that cares. My mentor Hannah is a great mentor because she is always there when I need her. She is positive, confident, and helpful, and she has never given up on me. Hannah is a great mentor because even though I’ve had my struggles, she has always made sure I know there is someone there for me.
We have done many fun things together, but the most fun activity we’ve done as a match was attending a Red Sox game last year as part of a Silver Lining community group event. The game was fun because I love baseball (and especially the Red Sox) and it was really cool to get matching Red Sox t-shirts and hats. We also got to eat good food, but the best part was just being there with my mentor because we had a lot of fun together. The Red Sox won that night, and then won the World Series the next month! It was exciting to see them play and share this experience with my mentor.
Having a mentor has been fun for me because I get to do many different things that I might feel scared or nervous to do otherwise – like go out in my community, go swimming, or see movies. Hannah and I also like to go to the library, and we love to cook. One goal that Hannah and I have been working on is talking to people that work in stores, which was something that used to make me nervous. Having a mentor makes me feel more confident to try new things. I enjoy having someone that I can talk to whenever I’m sad or not in a good place, and to share with when I’m happy and excited.
Another thing I enjoy about Silver Lining Mentoring is that I have opportunities to work and earn money by sharing my experience as a mentee. One opportunity that Hannah and I had together was participate in a panel for prospective mentors during their mentor training. We got to talk about our match and how mentoring works to people interested in being matched with a mentee. I really liked getting to talk to mentors to help them understand what it’s like to be a mentee and to have a mentor. Overall, I am glad that I have Hannah and Silver Lining Mentoring in my life because they help me feel supported.
