Mentors Make A Difference
Can you figure out what Mr. Feeney, Mr. Miyagi, Alex Hitchens, Charles Xavier, and Sean Maguire have in common? Other than they are the names of fictional characters, they had a great influence in the lives of the people they chose to teach.
These people were more than just teachers, they were mentors. They were people that had a personal vocation to care for, teach, and guide their inexperienced students. A student of any age can feel a little lost on the journey to their future. Every person can use a little guidance or even a little push.
Mentorship is something that we see a little bit of in the movies every now and again. Few times in our daily lives do we actually get to experience such a rich bond that is cultivated by a person that is so very eager to learn and a person with the knowledge and patience to pass that knowledge on.
A book I read in middle school with this very theme comes to mind, The Giver by Lois Lowry. It is a book having everything to do with the passing of knowledge from a teacher to a pupil. In return for the amount of patience and trust that they bestowed on one another, their lives became enriched and they helped each other toward the light that lit their nearly dark caves.
Being in college and academically excelling proves to be a challenge for many newcomers. Having a person in your life that you admire and respect and that wants to see you succeed can be an immeasurably rewarding experience for both the mentor and the protégé.
Andrés Mota, the vice president of the student government association at MDC-West believes that his mentorship with the professor Hien Nguyen provides him with “inspiration…to keep pushing through one’s limitations and reaching [one’s] goals.”
Professor Chris Migliaccio is another one of these gems. He teaches ecology and environmental sciences at Wolfson Campus and is in his 28th year at Miami Dade College.
Throughout his time here, he has made countless connections with students that show an interest and have spark. Migliaccio defined spark as having intellectual curiosity (asking good questions), willingness to speak up (not being afraid to speak what’s on your mind), and a sense of lightness (a child-like curiosity even in the most cumbersome of topics.)
“I really like working with students,” Migliaccio said.
I’ve encountered so many professors that are equally as willing to teach and discuss tiresome and light topics alike before, during and after registered office hours. Mentors will often be available to do what they can to help the mentee through different means and, as Migliaccio said, “sometimes it’s a kick in the butt, a pat on the back, box of Kleenex, or candies…to develop that sense of confidence.”
According to Baz Luhrmann’s Everybody’s Free to Wear Sunscreen, “advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.”
