“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Everyone gets asked this overwhelming question at some point in their life; and while some may know the answer to this question, others, like myself, do not. To help these young adults in finding a career path, some high schools created a mentorship program.
Heather Conley leads the mentorship program at Robert E. Lee, the school I attend. Her mission is to guide each student in finding the perfect mentor, that will educate the individual more about his/her field of choice. With the help of a mentorship program, you can get more of a feel for the career you would like to pursue.
Thanks to this opportunity, I am now mentoring at the Augusta Free Press, Staunton’s top resource for local news and sports. In giving students a chance to explore their career of interest, this in return helps them make a decision as to what they see themselves doing when they choose a major for college.
I reached out to Chelsea Church, a former mentor student from Robert E.Lee, who was in the same mentorship program that I am in, to see if it benefited her. She stated, “It definitely did! Journalism is something I’ve been interested in for as long as I can remember and being able to mentor someone that specialized in that same field was so exciting.Chris (her mentor) gave a lot of great advice which helped me become a better writer and communicator. Being able to write and be published on his website and magazines was a great experience and really confirmed that it was what I wanted to do.”
Being a part of this program has personally helped me in determining whether a career in journalism is the right fit. However, with continuing this mentorship I am exposed to other jobs in the media field as well.
A mentor who has sparked my interest at the Augusta Free Press is Chris Graham, a UVA graduate with a degree in political science who has made himself a career in the media field for 21 years. Graham holds the title of journalist, editor and author. For a simple high-school student as myself, Graham’s expertise and knowledge in the media can go a long way. Thanks to my mentorship program I now have the opportunity to shadow not only Graham but his fellow co-workers and learn the ropes of what it takes to be a journalist. With this program I hope other students have the opportunity in finding their mentor and exploring what sparks their interest as well.
Gabrielle Sansom is a senior at Robert E. Lee High School. Her work will appear throughout the spring semester on AugustaFreePress.com.
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