Souderton Area High School students and their mentors pose for a photo at the 2024 Mentor Awards breakfast, May 15. Photo by John Worthington | The Reporter.
Several area professionals were treated to an awards breakfast Wednesday, May 15 — to recognize them for donating their time to mentor high school students.
Held in the Souderton Area High School library, the breakfast honored five local professionals who participated in the high school’s mentorship program, a 20-hour unpaid career experience that students complete as part of the Pathway 360 Program.
The mentors included Joe Savin, a journalist with WHYY; Beck Simon, owner of Shadowed Behavior, an equine analysis and application business; Dr. Caitlin Warren, a Souderton Area High School biology teacher; Kristian Hanus, a Hatfield police office, and Dr. Frank Ciuba, a physical therapist with H/S Physical Therapy.
RuthE Potter, executive director of the Indian Valley Education Foundation and board member of the Indian Valley Chamber of Commerce, the event’s host, commended the mentors for helping students explore their professional aspirations.
“Your guidance helps students navigate and explore various career paths and instills the confidence they need to begin the lifelong journey of finding meaningful employment and opportunities,” said Potter.
During the event, the students recounted the knowledge and skills that they gained from their mentorships.
“Joe was super hands on with guiding us and teaching us all about journalism, digital journalism especially. He really enlightened me with the way we can convey different stories and perspectives through digital journalism,” student Claudia Elwell said of Savin. “Because of his guidance, I’m going to George Washington University next year, and I’ll be majoring in journalism.”
“I learned a lot about the different ways horses and humans interact with each other at Shadowed Behavior,” said student AJ Johnson. “There’s a lot more progress that can be made when both parties are engaged and willing to learn, and it deepened my ability to see things from both sides.”
“I did the medical mentorship with Dr. Warren at the end of my sophomore year,” said student Kyle Lockhead. “My senior year, I had an opportunity to sit in her pilot Medical Applications class and help her with some of the labs and give feedback. I really want to go into prosthetics, and thanks to Dr. Warren, I’ll be going to Case Western to study biomedical engineering.”
“Kristian was a very good mentor. I did two ride-alongs. It was a very fun experience. We did traffic stops, calls to service. He answered all the questions I had,” student Trae Quigley said of Hanus. “I will be attending school at Florida Southwestern for criminal justice. I hope to pursue a career in law enforcement.”
“I was able to build a lot of relationships with some of the patients at H/S therapy and help them with electrical stimulation and their workouts,” said student Emily Tusman. “I did not end up deciding to go into this field, but it was really good to develop some soft skills that I otherwise wouldn’t have gotten.”
Some of the mentors also spoke about the benefits of the program, including the opportunity to showcase their professions and witness the talent of the students.
“It was really validating for me to see someone interested in my niche business,” said Simon. “But it was also phenomenal to see someone come and be interested in what I do and how it can be translated to a variety of different aspects in life.”
“The best part of being a mentor is meeting with students that I wouldn’t get an opportunity to meet,” said Warren. “Meeting Kyle at this medical mentorship was awesome. He has done a fantastic job. His future is bright.”
Potter concluded the event by encouraging the students to continue seeking out mentors for advice and guidance.
“They will help guide you in directions that you may not have yet considered,” said Potter. “Every successful professional, regardless of their career path, will be able to point to the special people who helped guide them along the way.”
This article appears courtesy of a content share agreement between North Penn Now and The Reporter. To read more stories like this, visit www.thereporteronline.com.
