Speaker: Melanie Norall
Could you tell us why you decided to become a mentor?
Melanie Norall: I decided to become a mentor because I know how challenging the college years can be, and I love that this program helps connect students with adults who can help them navigate any challenges or obstacles that happen along the way.
What do you enjoy most about being a mentor?
Melanie Norall: What I enjoy the most about being a mentor is really just being there to hear all the updates and things that are happening, um, in my students' lives. So whether it's, uh, news about a club that they've joined, maybe a sport that they've tried for the first time, or maybe they're just really excited because they did well on a test, I thought that was going to be super difficult, um, and they just want to share what's happening. I love being the person on the other end of the phone who can, you know, listen and, and hear what's going on in their lives.
How has mentoring impacted your life or perspective?
Melanie Norall: One of the things I've realized from mentoring is just how many challenges can happen along the way during a student's college experience. And so I'm really glad that I can be here to help them talk about situations such as a, a roommate difficulty or even a possible change from one university to another. Um, those are big decisions and it's wonderful that Rise Together Education puts this program together so that students have somebody to talk to about. Some of the things that come up over the 4 years that they're in school.
