By Emily N., Current Mentee and Ha Nguyen, Development & Communications Associate
Photos courtesy of AALEAD Staff
Since its inauguration in 2002, the National Mentoring Month campaign is held and observed every January to raise awareness and promote youth mentoring in United States. This week, we are highlighting the
Emily is currently a ninth-grade student at Annandale High School. In an interview with NBC4 during Asian American Heritage Month in May 2018, Emily expressed that it can be a lot of pressure being the oldest child of two immigrant parents from Vietnam who do not speak much English. However, she also shared that she wants to become a mentor and eventually helps first generation students like her! When Emily was in 8th grade in January 2018, she was matched with her mentor, Suka through AALEAD’s Youth Mentoring Program.
“My name is Emily and I have to say that my mentor Suka is the best mentor. She has always told me that I should love myself. I am not a very confident person and tend to shy away easily. However, Suka keeps on telling me that it is okay to be the bold and really extra friend. As a resolution for 2019, Suka also challenges me to learn to love myself for my flaws.
Suka and I have been together for a year and I am glad that I have someone who knows how to deal with my extra self and I hope that she views me the way that I view her: a sister!”
Interested in learning more about the Youth Mentoring Program?
Contact Vi Bui at vbui@aalead.org for further information
and/or submit a Youth Mentoring Application
Stay tuned on AALEAD’s Blog posts and Social Media Platforms this month to learn more about other AALEAD’s Mentoring Programs and the impact of mentoring on a young person’s life!