There is nothing like having that person you can lean on in your time of need. For some people the person they can lean on are their parents, brothers, sisters, or other family members. However, not everyone has a family they can depend on. I was one of those people up until 10^th grade when I found my first mentor. Mentors are experienced and trusted advisors who help someone persist through life.

Just a couple of years back, I was what they called an at-risk youth. At-risk youths are students who are less likely to transition successfully into adulthood and become self-sufficient. I personally feel mentors play a big role in guiding the at-risk youth across the world. Mentors are the people you can lean on when you feel you have no one, and they are the people to lead you down a road of success. Mentors provide youth with good values, job/intern opportunities, and expand your network.

Good Values

Before having a mentor, I didn’t have many values. At that time, having values was not something I would think about. I had an understanding that some things were right and some things were wrong, but values are more than that. Values determine how a person behaves in different situations. Values shape what a person’s life goals are and how they plan to reach them. Although my mentors never told me that I should have values X, Y, and Z to be happy and live a filling life, being around them helped learn values. Some of them include:

Mentoring: which is a blind of support, caring, empathy, and many other things

Openness:not just in a way where I accept others' points of view but also in a way where I’m more willing to express how I feel about issues I’m dealing with.

Awareness:knowledge or perception of a situation or fact.

Job opportunities

My mentors also have provided me with many job and internship opportunities. Back in 11^th grade, I had a mentor who helped me get my first internship with a credit union. How many people can say they had an internship in high school? The more mentors I had, the more job and internship opportunities that were available. Over the summer I was able to intern at Quicken Loans, thanks to my mentor Tobin Williams. This summer I will be working with the YMCA to help youth, which is one of my life goals. None of this would be possible if not for my mentors.

Networking

If there is one thing that I have noticed while being a person with a mentor and a mentor to others, it’s that mentors love to show off their success cases. Most of my mentors are CEO's of companies or at least hold a higher status than me. Whenever I go anywhere with them, they introduce me to well-known people and connections are the key to success. Of course, you still have to do some of the work, it's not as easy as the shake of a hand and someone's offering to pay your bills. It's up to you to make small talk and get their contact information. As a mentor, I know that the more people you meet in life the more successful you can become.