Posted by: Lea_Marie_C_Paar on 08/13/2014 11:17 PM
Updated by: Lea_Marie_C_Paar on 08/13/2014 11:20 PM
Expires: 01/01/2019 12:00 AM
:
Ashley Sozzi Honored as August 2014 Mentor of the Month
Angels Camp, Ca...The Calaveras Youth Mentoring Program is delighted to honor Ashley Sozzi as its August 2014 Mentor of the Month. Ashley, 24, moved to Angels Camp two years ago, and she soon decided to volunteer her time as a mentor. She has been matched with her fourteen-year-old mentee, Lateefah, for over a year. “Ashley is an exceptional young woman, and we are so lucky to have her as a mentor in our program,” said Colleen Dolan, coordinator of mentoring programs for the Calaveras County Office of Education. “Ashley and Lateefah have a lot of fun adventures together, but Ashley also brings an extraordinary level of authenticity and intention to her interactions with her mentee. She is a very good mentor.” Ashley believes that honesty is the key to her successful relationship with Lateefah. “We have the most amazing conversations,” said Ashley. “Kids like Lateefah are incredibly quick to pick up on it when an adult isn’t being genuine. We have established a nice level of trust. If Lateefah asks what I think, I try to be real with her. We’re friends; I respect her opinion and she respects mine.” Ashley has a great deal of admiration for her young friend. “Lateefah is very insightful. She makes a conscious effort to treat people well and do the right thing,” said Ashley. “She’s really my inspiration. I’ve learned a lot from her about my own limitations and about the kind of person I want to become. She challenges me regularly.”...
In the year that they have been matched in the Calaveras Youth Mentoring Program, Ashley and Lateefah have shared many first-time experiences. “She went bowling and into a cave for the first time,” said Ashley. “For her birthday we went on a tour of Moaning Caverns. Lateefah has always struggled with a fear of heights, so she was really scared to go down the steep stairs into the cavern. It was the coolest thing in the world to watch her conquer her fear. She was so happy and proud of herself when she got to the bottom of the cave.”
The friends also recently visited Ashley’s alma mater, UC Berkeley, where Lateefah had her first experience visiting a college campus. “Lateefah was a bit overwhelmed I think, but she was still very inquisitive. She was soaking it all in: the big city, the beautiful buildings, the different people,” said Ashley.
Their visit to the Bay Area was Lateefah’s favorite adventure so far, too. “If I had to pick one thing with Ashley it would have to be San Fran,” she said. But Lateefah is enjoying the whole mentoring program experience. “I get to meet really nice people and being with Ashley is really great,” she said.
Supporting young people is not a new endeavor for Ashley. In high school she coached several all-star cheerleading teams. While studying at UC Berkeley, Ashley volunteered her time tutoring students at Castlemont High School and participated in a creative writing workshop, The Beat Within, serving young people incarcerated in the Alameda Juvenile Justice Center.
When Ashley moved to Calaveras County, she naturally sought out another opportunity to engage with young people. She first learned about the Calaveras Youth Mentoring Program from her boss, George Wendt, owner of O.A.R.S. and longtime supporter of the Mentoring Program. “Work is what brought me to Calaveras County, but it’s the people who have kept me here,” said Ashley. “I have wonderful co-workers and friends, and Calaveras offers some of the best opportunities to enjoy the outdoor activities that I love. Calaveras is just a beautiful place to live.”
Ashley has enjoyed working with the Calaveras Youth Mentoring Program. “They offer so much support,” said Ashley. “It makes being a mentor easy. You can really just focus on the kid that you’re with, and it’s just really fun! You get to do a lot of neat things with a super cool kid. I’ve had a blast.”
The Calaveras Youth Mentoring Program is seeking volunteer mentors for eager boys and girls living in San Andreas, Angels Camp, Murphys, and Arnold. For more information about the Calaveras Youth Mentoring Program, call Colleen Dolan at (209) 736-6078 or visit the program online at www.calaverasmentoring.org.
|
