Reflections on Mentoring Through the Hispanic Development Fund

It has been a real honor for me to participate in mentoring a student through the Hispanic Development Fund (HDF).  Thirty plus years ago I was a recipient of the scholarship, and a message that was given to me at that time has always stayed me, which is: “Your community has given to you, never forget to give back to your community”.  Now my son is a recipient and so are other family members.  I believe representation matters; my own path and experience as a young person did not have many people who looked like me, talked like me or understood my experience, and so when I was given the opportunity to become a mentor, I felt that being able to provide support to a young person from my community would benefit me as much as it would benefit my mentee.

Last December I met my mentee Jade Valdez, who was a senior at East High School in Kansas City Public Schools.  We were introduced with clear expectations that I would support her in writing an essay for the scholarship and talk with her about post-secondary education, but it became more than that.  Jade was a great student; she was at the top of her class with lots of possible opportunities waiting for her but was facing obstacles that I also faced in high school, including “not knowing what you don’t know”. Like Jade I wanted to go to college I just didn’t know the process nor did my family who were immigrants to this country.  For me, if my high school counselor had not driven me to my ACT exam and taken me to a college visit and urged me to apply for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, I might have not gone to college.  Sometimes we need guidance and help, and I wanted to give to Jade the support that my high school counselor gave to me:  this was my opportunity to give back.

Because of the restrictions of COVID-19, Jade and I had our weekly meetings over Zoom. We worked on her essay, and discussed how to choose a college, how to apply and eventually how to pay for it.  As we spent more and more time together, I was able to hear about her struggles and dreams and shared my personal experiences while helping her develop her own path… the next thing you know we are friends! The connection that I formed with Jade surpassed the initial “ask” of helping her with writing an essay. We celebrated her graduation from high school; I have met her family and had dinner with them, and she has met my family as well; and we were so happy when we learned she received the scholarship!

I am super proud of Jade she is now a freshman at Avila College, we check in every couple of weeks and about college, work and the balance of life in general.  My wife has also agreed to help in the co-mentoring which makes this a stronger relationship.

I am proud of my heritage being Mexican American, Latinx, Chicano.  I appreciate the many sacrifices my parents made so that both my brother and I could have a better life.  My dad often said, “Nostros sufrimos para que ustedes no tengan que” which translates to “we suffer so you don’t have to”.  I am now 54 and will always be grateful for the many people who have guided my path in life.  I feel fortunate to be able to pay it back and gain a new friendship at the same time.  I look forward to the day Jade is walking across the stage with her diploma in hand…VIVA las mujeres!!

You can learn more about the Hispanic Development Fund Scholarship on their website here: https://hdfkc.org/network

Read Jade Valdez’s student leadership profile.