Two graduates of the School-to-Work mentoring program with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay have created their own mentoring program at the University of South Florida. “Bulls for Brighter Futures” provides underserved high school teens with resources to help them navigate their careers and lives through one-to-one mentoring with a college student.
Bulls for Brighter Futures
Chyanne Eaton, double majoring in Biomedical Science and Spanish at USF, is Co-President and Founder of Bulls for Brighter Futures. Chyanne felt that her time in the School-to-Work program as a Little was invaluable. As a high school student who planned to attend college, the School-to-Work program provided Chyanne with essential life skills. For instance, she learned how to navigate the college admissions process, establish and use credit, and combat implicit bias. Having a Big gave her someone to go to for advice or reassurance.
Nidhi Bangalore, double majoring in Biomedical Science and Psychology at USF, is the VP of Menteeship for Bulls for Brighter Futures. Connecting with her Big through the School-to-Work program helped her focus on her education while building interpersonal skills. She looks to her Big as a friend and teacher who truly has an impact on her life. She saw herself grow as a person during the two years she spent in the School-to-Work program. “Seeing how someone’s guidance and friendship can help another, I hoped to foster that same bond with the new mentors and mentees in our program,” Nidhi explained.
From Mentees to Mentors
Knowing how critical mentoring relationships were to their success, Chyanne and Nidhi saw an opportunity to provide mentorship to high school students looking for guidance. Chyanne said, “My Big helped me to feel more confident in myself and made me realize that I don’t have to have everything figured out right away. This relief is something that I want to provide for other high school students and has inspired my friends and me to create the mentorship organization Bulls for Brighter Futures.”
Although they faced challenges while building the program, they had support from their Bigs along the way. From mentee to mentor, their experiences with the School-to-Work program will forever guide them on their path to mentor more kids.
Learn more about how you can inspire the next generation of mentors through our School-to-Work program.
