It's a hard time to be a kid. With all kinds of negative peer pressures, it's tough to navigate without a caring adult to help them through. Many of the kids we serve in the Ithaca community have added challenges; most of them live in poverty or low-income homes, and more than 80% of them don't have a family history of higher education. 

Luckily, College Mentors for Kids provides college student mentors to serve as positive role models for these kids and open their eyes to new opportunities, helping them to create new visions for their futures. 

I enjoy being a general manager of a team of incredibly dedicated and selfless student metors because I get to spend time with an amazing group of ambitious students and role meodels each week and participate in fun and character developing activities together with our buddy family. I am so lucky for the opportunities I have at Cornell, and within the generous Ithaca community. It's important to me to give back to the people and the neighborhood that have allowed me to make their home my own home for the past 3 years. Through this opportunity I have met some incredible peers, kids and have learned invaluable  and important leadership skills in the meantime.

I can't do all of this without your help, though. Please consider making a donation to help me meet my fundraising goal! Your contribution will allow us to continue this program on our campus, and grow it beyond Cornell to other Univerisies nationwide, so that we can make an even greater impact on these kids who need it most.

If you know me you know that I adore learning and spending time with children! During my time in high school I was a camp counselor, an assistant religious education teacher, and most commonly a baby sitter. Coming to college was quite the transition for me and I struggled to get involved with the community beyond my class schedule, as I had at home. Though it took me a little while, I am so lucky and grateful to have found another haven in the College Mentors for Kids community at Cornell. I am inspired daily by the effort and dedciation of my incredible peers to make being part of this mentorship program as special as it is for our little buddies. Please consider helping my team and I continue this movement to allow each student have the priceless opportunity that I had to follow my dreams! Thank you so much!