Congratulations to Melissa M. and Keeley B. for being named

April’s Mentor/Mentee of the month!

 Keeley is a ninth grade student who is interested in becoming a Physical Therapist because she wants to help others.  From the first couple of exchanges with her mentor, she has been made aware of other careers similar to Physical Therapy; one being Occupational Therapy. “Thank you so much for hinting me toward OT also” says Keeley. “OT sounds really interesting, I would love to do things like that as well as PT. I just want to be able to help people who can not help them self.”

Melissa works for Highmark Inc. as a Decision Support Specialist II.  She has been a mentor for four years now.  Melissa says she has ”truly enjoyed being a person the eMentee can come to, to ask questions, look to for suggestions and truly help guide towards their future.  I remember how difficult it was for me to decide what I wanted to do ‘after high school’ and did not feel I had much guidance.  Being able to provide that guidance to someone else is so rewarding.  I’ve enjoyed interacting with all of my eMentees but my most recent eMentee, Keeley, has been especially rewarding.  I feel like I’ve been able to open her eyes to what is out there which ultimately will help her to decide how she wants to achieve her goals.”

Thank you Keeley and Melissa for your outstanding dedication to the PA eMentoring program.  Keep up the exceptional work!

Congratulations to Bradley G. and Doug S. for being named March 2012 Mentor/Mentee of the month.  

Brad and Doug’s rapport was strong throughout the eMentoring program.  They discussed important topics such as post secondary education and majors one can pursue in college.

Brad first became an eMentor in 2008 when the program first began.

He was in graduate school earning his K-12 School Guidance Certification.    ”I am not currently in the school guidance field but I still have the desire to help young students succeed and grow as individuals and become productive members of society.  Being an eMentor helps fulfill that desire.  When I am able to help a student out in any way, I feel like I help make the world a better place.   Reading emails from my mentees that say stuff like, “Wow, I never thought of that before!” or a simple, “Thank you for helping where others have not.” is what drives me to want to help more.”

Doug, a senior at Apollo Ridge High School, is a self-motivated, well rounded student who participated in eMentoring in his “Senior Internship” class.

“I had a very good experience as a PA eMentee. This program has opened my eyes to the endless possibilities that are out in the world. I learned that I do not have to decide on a career right away and that it is very important to make sure what you choose is something that you truly enjoy. My overall experience was positive and I’m glad I was able to participate in the program.”

Congratulations Doug and Brad!  Thank you for your exceptional effort and dedication to this program.

Thanks to the United Way of Allegheny County and their Be 1 in a Million initiative, PA eMentoring has matched over 500 high school students to online career mentors in Allegheny County.  The PA eMentoring program gives educators an innovative way to connect kids with working professionals and gives kids an opportunity to create a post secondary education and career plan while talking to a mentor.  Smart Futures staff started to recruit schools for this initiative, with the help of the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, in the fall of 2011.  As of today, February 28, we hit our target mark!

The schools involved in this initiative are:  Allegheny Valley, Avonworth, Baldwin Whitehall, Chartiers Valley, Clairton City, Crossroads Foundation, Deer Lakes, East Allegheny, Elizabeth Forward, Fox Chapel,  Gateway, McKeesport Area, PA Learners, Parkway West CTC, Pittsburgh Project, Sci-Tech Academy, Shaler, South Allegheny, Steel Center, Sto-Rox, The Neighborhood Academy, and Woodland Hills.

We are so excited to have the opportunity to share our career education programs with Allegheny County Schools.  A special thanks to the United Way of Allegheny County for making this possible.

 Torsten, originally from Germany, is working at the University of Pittsburgh in the Economics and Statistics department as a lecturer.  He is also currently working toward his Doctorate.  Mary is a sophomore in high school and plays basketball, softball, and is in the marching band.  She is involved in many extracurricular activities and clubs, and is the treasurer of her class.

Mary and Torsten’s rapport from the start of their PA eMentoring relationship has been valuable.  With their high level of engagement, and genuine interest in excellence, both parties have connected and shared guidance and advice.

Although Mary is unsure of a future career path, she is very interested in several science related jobs.  ”I have thought about becoming a pharmacist, pediatrician, or even a physical therapist, but I don’t know for sure what I would like to be. I am currently taking chemistry at school, and I have loved all of my science courses up until, and including, this point.”

Torsten has suggested looking into some of the job profiles within the professions Mary is interested in.  As an employee at the University of Pittsburgh, Torsten has taken the time to share some of Pitt’s course information as well.

“As a foreigner to this country, I have greatly benefited from the support, the warm reception and the friendships extended by many Americans.” says Torsten.  ”I feel very fortunate that I have now arrived at a point where I can start giving back to the community that has continuously been offering me so many opportunities. Working with young people on their education and careers at Pitt,  mentoring came a natural choice.”

Torsten and Mary’s eMentoring relationship blossomed throughout the time they have been working together.  Each are contributing thoughtful responses to the activity questions and are sharing valuable information.

“I have found eMentoring very helpful as I begin to make my career choice.  I am one of the students who is not quite sure yet what I want to be, and this program has helped me eliminate some professions as well as take others into consideration,” says Mary.  ”I am looking forward to finishing the program and hopefully having a better idea of what career I would like to pursue.”

Thank you Torsten and Mary for your exceptional effort and dedication to this program.

Andrea and Jacob’s eMentoring rapport started strong with the sharing of similar interests in their profiles and introductions.  With a common interest in science and physics, Andrea and Jacob had a lot to talk about.

 Andrea graduated from the Naval Academy and was commissioned as an officer in the Navy’s nuclear propulsion program.  She spent a year in nuclear power training and then the next four and a half years operating nuclear reactors for the Navy.  Andrea recently got out of the Navy and now works in technical marketing in the nuclear industry for RagingWire Data Centers.

Andrea decided to become a PA eMentor because “I wanted to help high school students realize the full breadth of opportunities available to them in their post-secondary education/career. As a military veteran and current reservist, I wanted to make sure that prospective military members knew all the information possible about their decision.”

Jacob is an 11th grade student interested in science and math.  He plans to go to a college or a university for astrophysics.  His primary interest is astrophysics, but he also plans to study quantum, theoretical, particle and nuclear physics.

“My experience as a PA eMentee was insightful and I enjoyed it immensely.  Enabling me to have access to data and information, the eMentoring program provided me with the last bits of research that I needed to refine my college plans.  Exceptionally helpful and friendly, my eMentor gave me invaluable advice and answered every question that I asked, no matter how trivial.”

Katie is a 10th grade student at Belle Vernon high school. Because of her interest in engineering, Katie chose William, a Technical Specialist from Alcoa, as her mentor.

Katie and William’s rapport started strong as William broke the ice with an “old engineering joke”. Katie shared the joke with her father, who is also an engineer, and both had a chuckle. From that point on, Katie and William talked about engineering, perseverance and life experiences.

“I think the program is very enlightening and helpful when someone who is experienced is telling you about how they got to where they are. I think this program is really valuable to students,” says Katie.

William, who is a new mentor to the program, was matched shortly after he signed up.

“Participating as an eMentor gave me an opportunity to share my educational and career choices with someone at the point in her life where these decisions were being made. This started as a ‘trip down memory lane’ for me as I completed activities that documented my own career path,” says William.

“After being matched with my mentee through our common engineering interest, I was delighted to correspond with a bright, focused student who was clearly interested in making good choices for her future. It has been a pleasure providing additional data and personal insight to a student who I’m sure will make good use of it.”

Congratulations again to Katie and William. Your exceptional effort and dedication to this program is what makes it a success. Keep up the great work!

Towards an affordable, flexible, and comprehensive career guidance program for schools….

Smart Futures has now bundled its career education programs, including the powerful new PA Career Guides program, into one low-cost program package.  To the schools we serve, this means more online career preparation programming for less $$$.  New and existing customers will now have access to ALL Smart Futures programming at one low annual cost.  With the program bundle, many existing Keys2Work customers will actually pay less next year while receiving more program offerings.

The 2012 Smart Futures Value Pack  includes unlimited access to these career preparation programs:

  A career based skill improvement and credentialing  for grades 8-12; great for use within IEPs

Game-like website allowing students to create career plan within 2-3 hours of online play for grades 6-9

 – NEW!!!!  Online career guides lead students through a college and career planning process– grades 8-11

• Great for general education, special education and gifted populations
• 10 fun, flexible interactive online career education activities
• Activity completion leads to a personalized college and career plan for each student
• Over 1000 online career guides share their own experiences and thoughts about their path through college and careers

PLUS   Lets 25 students choose an online mentor who helps guide them through 10 career activities leading to a college and career plan for each student – grades 9-11. (value $1000)

PLUS  A Free financial education and certification program with modules for kids, teens and young adults; a partnership with Wells Fargo’s award winning Hands On Banking program.

Contact Diane James at Smart Futures to order or to upgrade to the new unlimited program bundle today — djames@smartfutures.org, 412-288-3900 ext. 236.

Kylie is a student in the Health Assistant II program at Parkway West Career and Technology Center    who plans to pursue a career in the Medical Field. Russell is a medical student who has worked at  UPMC in the past and has just completed a Neuropathology rotation within the University of  Pittsburgh Medical Center.  This particular mentor/mentee relationship has grown since their first  exchange.

Russell took his mentoring job in stride and began to jumpstart the thought process for his mentees future.  “I wanted to become a PA eMentor in order to help teenagers achieve their educational goals. The transition between high school and college can be exciting, confusing, and sometimes stressful” says Russell.  “I know when I was in high school, this time was especially hard. I didn’t know a lot about my options regarding institutions of higher learning, funding, or what my ultimate career goal was. I think PA eMentoring provides invaluable services to young people because it lets students talk directly to people that are in the same career that the student is interested in. This provides a great opportunity to ask questions and learn about their career path.”

Kylie knew coming into the program that she wanted to further her education and find a career in the healthcare field. “I chose Russ because he is a medical student. From my first glance at his profile, I could tell that we were very similar,” says Kylie.  “Russell completely changed my mind-set on college when he related his own personal experiences.  He gave me advice on where to go to college and even helped me choose a career to pursue.  All-in-all, I believe that my mentor and I have an awesome relationship.  He has been incredibly helpful.  Thank you Russ!”

Thank you to Russell and Kylie for your exceptional effort and dedication to this program!