How does this mentor program work?
Why participate in a mentor program?
We are very excited to launch this program for our 8th-12th grade students (K-8 and HCHS), parents, and recent alumni (18-24). As a student progresses through 8th to 12th grade they often feel the need to understand how it is possible to go from HCHS student, to receiving a degree, to becoming an employed professional and all the steps in-between. As you can see from the mentor profiles, the teachers and curriculum at HCHS have laid the foundation to help create some of the nation's most respected professionals. Many of the mentors work at some of the worlds biggest or most innovated large companies, Many preferred to own their own businesses or be leaders in mid-sized companies. Mentorship helps provide the confidence, connections, and resources to supplement the education and personal network the students are already receiving at HCHS in Bonifay, Florida. Mentors can help with valuable insights on things like:
*how they picked their majors, colleges, careers,
*hot new areas that companies are actively seeking individuals to hire and with good salaries
*how to allocate time and efforts on certain extracurricular activities or shadowing experiences,
*help connect the student with other local experts for work or internship opportunities,
*how to select majors or minors in college,
*educate the students how to search for entry level professional jobs,
*share best practices of how to build a resume for a specific professional job
Who qualifies as a student/parent/alumni to speak with a mentor?
Our program is designed to help students, parents, and recent alumni of HCHS in Bonifay, Florida.
Current students in 8th-12th grade in Bonifay K-8 and HCHS are eligible. Students should demonstrate a moderate to high level of academic achievement and are expected abide by the Holmes District School's rules of conduct. We recommend one 30 minute session per school year. Sessions would start at inspirational and networking discussions in the 8th and 9th grades and progress to more advanced discussions related to the good extracurricular activities for applications to colleges and jobs and understanding the transition from high school to college related to major selection. Students in National Honor Society, AP/honors classes, and Beta Club tend to make perfect candidates but it is not required.
Parents of students in grades 8th-12th are encouraged to sign up their eligible students and help coordinate the scheduling of any mentor sessions as well as either sit in with the student during all mentor sessions or request a parent to mentor discussion without the student present. It might be difficult to do multisite mentor discussions depending on the technology used for the session. Zoom calls tend to be able to be set up with multiple parents/step-parents/caregivers at different locations vs a phone discussion. In our opinion the smaller the group in the discussion the more impactful the dialog will be.
Recent HCHS alumni 18-24 years old are also able to sign up for the program. The objective of a recent alumni mentor session would be different than a student session and most likely focused on more advanced college/career pathways or transition from college to the work force. Networking, understanding the state of the industry, resume building, LinkedIn profiles, and job searches are great conversations to be had in these 30 minute sessions. The recent alumni need to be either be actively taking college classes or a recent college grad seeking professional employment.
Who qualifies as a mentor?
Our current mentors were recommended by their peers as 1) highly regarded in their fields 2) having a great mix of college, military, corporate and other life experiences 3) living more than 90 miles from Bonifay, FL. This first set of mentors are meant to give alumni that live out of the area the opportunity to give back to HCHS and provide unique perspectives to you as a student, parent, or alumni to supplement the experts and leaders that live in the community around Bonifay and HCHS. We will be expanding to include local shadowing experiences with nearby alumni mentors in the near future. If you are an alumni and interested in volunteering as a mentor or a local shadowing site please fill in the contact us form. We'd love to talk with you!
Am I obligated to participate in more than one session?
There is no long term obligation. After your first session you will be allowed to 1) not participate in any additional sessions 2) request the same mentor to speak with the following year 3) request to speak with a different mentor the following year based on the student's career plans or interests. You can specifically request a certain mentor for your initial 30 minute session from our available mentor list and we will accommodate if they are available. The mentors are very busy professionals and the list will change from time to time as mentors have available time to participate.
What if I'm not sure if I want to participate?
If you aren't sure about participating but still want some additional information please fill out the contact form below and we are happy to talk with you about the program prior to being assigned to a mentor. The experience can be customized to your needs and sometimes talking that through is a great way to evaluate if it is a good fit for you or your student.
What happens once I fill in the contact us form below?
The contact us form lets us know you are interested. If you already know what career fields your student is interested in let us know that. If they are unsure we will ask you a few more questions before assigning a mentor. Once your mentor is assigned they will email you to set up a good time to have a 30 minute discussion preferably on Zoom or via a face to face appointment where the student and parent can both participate. A telephone call is also perfectly fine. Everyone can do quick introductions and then get to know each other a bit. The mentor will ask the student some questions about their school electives or clubs and how some of those things at HCHS might have helped provide them some support or foundation for future college needs or career considerations. The mentor is then available for a check up call either the following year or if new things arrive in which they have specific questions for the mentor. The end goal is that the student uses these resources and information to land a degree and professional job effectively and can lean into the mentor network for things like advice, recommendations, or referrals.