We’re proud of our kids’ successes. Some needed a little nudge. Others had to fight incredible odds. From losing a few pounds to finding a new home or staying away from drugs, we’ve always measured their success in increments. Because a success story is created over time, not overnight.

Stephanie & Kayla
College Mentors for Kids
Be Educated Grantee

Who would have thought the most important lessons in college would come from a ten-year-old girl?

Hi, my name is Stephanie and I want you to know how grateful I am for the ways that College Mentors for Kids has changed my life. When I came to Purdue University I missed my youngest sister terribly, and I was looking desperately for something to fill that void. I found it in my freshman year with College Mentors for Kids when I became a Big Buddy to a first-grader named Kayla.

Kayla and I were fast friends, but it wasn’t until our second month of mentoring that I realized how much I meant to her. She came running off the bus one afternoon and announced, “I have a new baby brother!” “Wow! When was he born?” I said, expecting her answer to be yesterday, or earlier in the week. I was shocked when she said, “This morning! My dad came to school to tell me and my sister and they went to see the baby after school.” When I asked why she didn’t go with them, she replied, “Because I wanted you to know about it,” as if it was the most obvious thing in the whole world.

This spring both Kayla and I will graduate from College Mentors for Kids. I am so thankful for this experience that has shaped me in ways I can not explain.

When I joined College Mentors for Kids I was going to be a pharmacist. I had it all planned out until mentoring Kayla changed my mind. Money was no longer my driving force; making a better life for children was my new goal. I wanted to be more involved in College Mentors for Kids, and I wanted my career to reflect that passion. Over the last few years, I took on several leadership roles within the Purdue Chapter. After switching my major to Social Work, I realized I could get a masters degree in Family and Marriage Counseling. Kayla thought it was a cool idea too.

Kayla has grown from not knowing anything about college to being an expert on the university and careers. In the first grade, when I asked her what she wanted to do when she grew up, she would reply, Burger King, because her mother had worked there.

Now, when I ask her that same question, she says, “I like kids so I could be a teacher—or, no, I want to be a professor and teach college students. But I also kind of want to be a doctor—no, I really want to be an X-ray person. Well, wait a minute, I want to be a policewoman, or…” The list of careers we have learned about at College Mentors for Kids never ends. I remind her, “You will have to go to college for all those.” She answers, “I know, that’s why I want those jobs.”

-- Stephanie, Purdue University Mentor

To help Kirsten and others like Stephanie Click Here

Kim, Be Educated Grantee Recipient
Kirsten, Linda Craig Memorial Scholarship Recipient
Stephanie & Kayla, College Mentors for Kids