Don Morgan, an attorney with Kizer, Hood & Morgan, LLP, has discovered you get back what you give to schools and students as a mentor volunteer.  Morgan mentors a McKinley High School student through Volunteers In Public Schools’ (VIPS) Voyage Program. 

Why did he start mentoring … and why should you?  “They (students) need someone in their lives to tell them they can achieve and to help instill in them an expectation of success,” he said.  “I had been a volunteer reading with young students in the VIPS EveryBody Reads Program for years, and I had enjoyed the experience.  Then a colleague told me about her experience in the Voyage Program.  It felt like an opportunity to have an impact in a student’s life, and I liked the continuity of the multi-year commitment.”

Like any relationship, the student and the mentor had to develop trust.  Most importantly, Morgan had to show he was committed to helping the student study and explore career areas of interest, like architecture and drawing.

“During a typical session, we discuss short- and long-term goals related to school and home life.  We work on study skills and do research related to his career interests.  I try to build his self-confidence in his own abilities and instill expectations of success through doing his very best,” Morgan said.  “He is more confident and has a wider view of his opportunities in the future.  I have learned patience and grown to realize more fully, and appreciate, the support and mentorship I have received in my own education and career path.”

To become a volunteer, call (225) 226-4706 or e-mail alau@ebrschools.org.