A Young Person on Her Mentor

By Han L., Current AALEAD Youth and Vi Bui, Mentoring & Volunteer Programs Coordinator
Photo Courtesy of AALEAD Staff

Han came to the U.S. from Vietnam as a middle schooler, has a passion for film, and was recently a Youth Program Coordinator during the VA Summer Program, MIC CHECK.

I first met Han at Annandale programs on my first day with AALEAD nine months ago, and her insightful input during the mental health stigmas workshop stayed with me. On my second visit I led a workshop on resume-building, and mentioned that a mentor could not only help youth with resumes, but with personal growth overall. Han became very interested in the Youth Mentoring Program and regularly checked in with me about being matched with a mentor over the next few months.

There is no science in making mentoring matches but I had a feeling in my gut that Han and Rumsha, a prospective AALEAD mentor, would get along. I even saw the two “out in the wild” on a mentoring outing in DC while I was attending an event outside of work!

Han and Rumsha have now been matched for about six months. Here are a few words from Han about her mentor and her experience in the program so far:

1. Who is your mentor and can you describe her in your own words?

My mentor is Rumsha A. I met her at the beginning of summer. To describe Rumsha, I would say she is a wonderful listener, compassionate and sincere.

2. What kind of things do you tend to do with your mentor? What is your favorite thing to do together?

Rumsha and I tend to go watch movies together. But most recently, we tried our luck with cooking and it turned out to be great.

3. How has having a mentor impacted you or your future goals?

Since having Rumsha as my mentor, I feel to be more confident in my abilities. I don’t shy away from new and unfamiliar things like I used to do. Evidently, cooking used to be an uncharted territory for me. Now, I don’t feel so intimidated by the idea of cooking. In fact, I feel more inclined to cook for myself and help my mom around the kitchen.

If you are a young person living in the DMV area and are interested in the AALEAD Mentoring Program, please contact Vi Bui at vbui@aalead.org. If you are an adult looking for ways to get involved as a volunteer, check out our volunteer opportunities.