We spoke with Anna, a data scientist at Elder Research who volunteers with C4K as a 1:1 mentor. Anna shared why she mentors with us.
I love getting to know youth members, seeing what they’re working on, and what excites them. The excitement is contagious and they motivate me to try to learn something new every day.
I love the community at C4K between both the youth members, staff and mentors. The Clubhouse makerspace is a tinkerer’s dream come true! There are so many tools available from #3D printers to sound mixing equipment to VR setups – members have no shortage of avenues in which to express their creativity!
I choose to mentor because I had mentors in my life that I looked up to. They supported my interests, helped me grow my abilities and develop self-confidence that I’ve taken with me into adulthood.
I want students in Charlottesville to be enabled to pursue their interests and have that same self-confidence moving out of high school. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to volunteer at C4K!
At C4K, I worked alongside Mckenzie who replaced her MacBook laptop’s display. It was something neither of had done before and together we did the research and found the right OEM parts and online instructional guides to get the job done. From there, McKenzie disassembled the laptop, replaced the display, and reassembled it all by herself! It’s amazing what can be done if you just set your mind to it!
It was a proud mentoring moment for us!
Learn about becoming a 1:1 or group mentor at C4K here.