'They'll mentor you, too':
Mentor Sherilee Keopuhiwa's story
It didn't take long for mentor Sherilee Keopuhiwa and student Tribeca McRae to become more than just a Community for Youth match. They became friends.
"At first, I was apprehensive about how I would be around Tribecca," Sherilee recalls. "I wanted our relationship to be easy from the beginning, so I let her have her way too much."
That initial hesitancy didn't last long, says the 31-year-old Bank of America loan officer. Soon, Sherilee was giving Tribeca her advice and opinions... and Tribeca gave hers right back.
"During our four years together, we both could vocalize our opinions to each other. But we knew we didn't have to listen," the mentor explains. "We started hanging out together a couple times a week - movies, dinner, trips - not because we had to, but because we enjoyed each other's company."
Sherilee learned about Community for Youth through a volunteer network. She was attracted to the organization not only because of the opportunity to be a role model for young people, but because of the support she would receive from a close community of mentors and staff.
She says she hopes she's helped Tribeca learn that life won't always be fair or easy, but that it's OK not to get your way all the time and to work for the things that are important.
"I also hope I've instilled in her that friends can be as strong a bond as family," Sherilee says, adding that she's learned a lot from Tribeca and other students, too. "These students have gone through a lot more than I've ever gone through in my life, yet they still manage to deal with the pressures of high school and to deal with life's problems at such an early age. It's very humbling for me.
"You should try it," she advises other adults. "You've gone through your teens. With your experience, you can help these kids. And you'll get back. They'll mentor you, too."
