The Academic Mentorship Program strengthens bonds between peers and inspires academic success

By Luis De La Torre and Eunice Kim

“We rise by lifting others,” famed American lawyer and orator Robert Ingersoll once said. Understanding a concept at school does not have to be a road traveled alone. Students have many options for acquiring help in their studies such as outside-of-school tutoring, online tutoring, and individual teacher assistance.

Although, sometimes it becomes difficult for students to access the help they need. With busy schedules and expensive assistance services there is less chances to improve academic performance.

GHC has created a new program to help bring more academic aid to students: the Academic Mentorship Program (AMP). Extending from what the Writing Center currently offers, students will have even more support available to them beginning next school year.

“With a school this size, it is really easy for students to slip through the cracks. By assigning students peer mentors, these struggling students will have someone checking in on them and helping them succeed,” English Coordinator for the AMP Kristi Vazquez said.

The program trains juniors and senior volunteers to provide direct in-class support or after school aid in the Writing Center or Math Center to freshmen students on subjects such as English, algebra 1, and biology. The goal is to increase chances of students’ successes and true understanding of the material.

AMP is also a significant  move towards unity and integration between students in different years. This is especially true because the new program offers more than just academic tutoring, but also student mentorship.

AMP offers student mentors ten elective credit points for their year-long commitment as well as a chance to deepen their own knowledge regarding the subject they must teach and a chance to sparkle on college applications. Beyond that, joining allows mentors to develop vital leadership skills and a special opportunity to strengthen communication bonds within the school. Mentees are provided beneficial services and connections with students of a similar age at their convenience.

“I am looking forward to meeting more of my peers and helping them become more passionate for writing. With that being said, I am also excited to see how each of our clients grow and improve throughout the year with the aid of the writing center,” junior Clarence Ortega said.

This mentor program instills a sense of community in students and lets those who are struggling know that they are not alone. In a school with as vast a population as ours, this personalized support system offers an incoming student comfort and solace amidst the crowd.

A mentor can guide students with helpful advice through the difficult transition to high school. Upperclassmen, armed with personal experiences, will be able to inform incoming freshmen of all the classes and programs that the school offers, tutor them when they fall behind, and guide them through the year.

AMP allows for students to become more aware of the plethora of opportunities and may inspire them to pursue more extracurricular activities and diverse educational pathways in the future. Even after their mentors graduate, the pairs can continue to communicate, and the mentor can advise the mentee.

At the end of the day, a helping hand can be all it takes to change someone’s world.