R.A.I.S.E the Roof!

I apologize for being sort of M.I.A. over the last few days.  I'm back and in full effect though; life just took over and I had to prioritize or go crazy.  One of the many things I did over the weekend was to go through my R.A.I.S.E Mentor Training.  R.A.I.S.E is a community outreach program offered through Big Brothers and Big Sisters that pairs high school juniors and seniors that want to go to college with mentors that can help them wield through the ACT/SAT, college selection, application, scholarship, and FAFSA processes.

I'm so excited about this program, because this is an area that God has specifically gifted me in, and the target students are those that would be first generation college attendants in their families like I was.  I wish I had someone to tell me NOT to take out $30,000 in student loans and allowed me to use their computer so that I wouldn't have to go to Kinkos to type and print papers.  Although, those experiences have allowed me to be able to understand the struggle of those coming from the same or similar background, but that doesn't stop me from wanting more for the next generation.

As I was driving away from the training session, I started to think about how my relationship with my mentee will flow: I was thinking we'd start with introductions, life stories, goals and aspirations, hitting up every scholarship known to man, pre-law applications at Harvard, an introduction to Christ, inviting her to church, and walking her down the Romans Road.  Ok ok....I know I tend to get carried away and my expectations are SUPER high, I literally pictured all of this stuff happening and imagined how we would feel and everything.  At that point, I just re-focused my thoughts back to God and how He wants me to interact with this young person and the things He wants them to walk away with.

Needless to say, I'm still so excited to be able to help a young person start their young adult life on the right path.

What gets you excited?