Thus far I have felt more confident going to Alton to mentor the high schoolers. As I have been getting to know them better, they have also been getting to know us and I believe it has helped make things less awkward. Because we are more comfortable around each other, we are able to talk more and share things about each other that can help determine who we will have as mentees, and vice versa.
My behaviors have influenced my interactions because I believe it’s what’s helped me be so welcoming to the mentees. By showing positive behaviors it has allowed me to learn how I’m much more social than I thought I was.
I think I’m excelling at talking to the mentees and trying to learn more about their lives. Although it is tough getting certain information out of some mentees, I’ve still been doing my best to “dig” for information that helps with our initiative. When the mentees talk about something irrelevant, what I try to do is steer the conversation back to where we can all be productive.
Things that I could do better is have a more energetic energy. Of all the mentors, I definitely would not consider myself a part of the energetic group. I’m not sure whether or not that’s a good or bad thing because I think it’s good to have a diverse group of mentors, but sometimes I just feel like I could smile or talk more. I guess I can work on being a little bit more outgoing and try putting myself in more uncomfortable positions so I can get comfortable.