Be A Mentor for A Low-Income High School Student in OC

Save to Favorites

Note: This is an ongoing, in-person volunteer opportunity.

Quick Overview: Are you craving a 1:1 volunteer experience where you can really make a meaningful impact on someone else's life? If so, volunteer as a mentor with Minds Matter - you'll work directly with a low-income, first-generation high school student through Senior year, helping them understand their goals and potential and providing them individual encouragement and guidance.

Impact: We work with students beginning in their sophomore year of high school all the way through their graduation from high school, both on academics (test prep, writing) and on life skills (time management, financial literacy, leadership). Each student is paired with two mentors who stay with them through the duration of the program. The vast majority of our students will be the first from their families to attend college, and we strive to give them the tools they need to thrive in college and in life.

Mission: Minds Matter is an organization dedicated to preparing motivated and bright students from low-income families to succeed in college. For more information, visit the Minds Matter SoCal website (http://mindsmattersocal.org or email us at recruiting@mindsmattersocal.org).

Volunteer Roles & Responsibilities: Mentors are paired with a co-mentor and a student. Mentoring sessions occur every Saturday during the academic school year and are divided into activities to help you build a bond with your mentee and focused time for both mentors to help their mentee navigate the various projects that are part of the program's curriculum, such as applying to summer programs at universities across the country where they can get a taste of college-level courses and life on campus.

• Participate every Saturday during the academic school year from 12pm-2:30pm (approx 25 sessions/year) for one year
• Attend at least 75% of the Saturday sessions
• Check in with your student and your co-mentor on a weekly phone call

Additional Details:
Notable Minds Matter SoCal facts

• 10 graduating classes - 130 graduates
• 100% of program graduates have been accepted to 4 year colleges, including Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, other Ivy League colleges, UC Berkeley, UCLA, among others
• Scholarships recipients: 7 Millennium Gates Scholar, 3 Milken Scholars, 2 Posse Scholars, 1 Jack Kent Cooke Scholar

Notable internships: McKinsey Research Center, Mayor's Office (Los Angeles)

Once you've expressed interest, the opportunity coordinator will follow-up with additional application details. To expedite the process, please complete our volunteer application here: https://tfaforms.com/310839

Please note that we require full vaccination for COVID-19 for all volunteers, and require indoor masking at sessions.​