Pocahontas County High School student Natashia Brewer shares her experience with mentoring with First Lady Joanne Tomblin through the WV eMentoring program

Pocahontas County High School will participate in The Education Alliance’s WV eMentoring program for a third semester on February 8.   Approximately 56 Pocahontas county High School sophomores will log on during the program’s third implementation.

Since February 24, 2011, more than 100 sophomores at Pocahontas County High School have participated in the WV eMentoring program. Prior to the wide-spread use of technology, mentoring meant face-to-face time spent with a child.  However, the Internet makes it possible for mentors to make a difference from their home or office.

The mentor and the student interact electronically through a secure e-mail system. During this process, students learn more about the high school courses they need to pursue their career goal(s).  Mentors also help students create personalized career and education plans for life after high school.

“This is just a really good program and the students enjoy it,” said Tom Sanders, principal of Pocahontas County High School. “We have seen this program work and help students choose a career because they’re getting information first hand from people out there in the field.”

Students at Pocahontas County High School have talked to more than 75 mentors in various fields, including nursing, law and education. As they begin the matching process, students do not know who they will be paired with. Last year, Pocahontas County High School sophomore Natashia Brewer picked First Lady Joanne Tomblin to be her mentor. For 10 weeks, they discussed Brewer’s hopes of going to nursing school so she could help others. Last June, Brewer had the opportunity to meet Tomblin in Charleston, W.Va. to share how the WV eMentoring program had an impact on her life.

“We have been able to see such a huge change in her since she finished the program,” said Pocahontas County School Superintendent C.C. Lester. “If we’re able to change our students’ look on life, then we know we’re making a difference. WV eMentoring makes that possible for all of our students.”

WV eMentoring is kicking off the spring semester by serving high school students in Kanawha County beginning on February 1st! We anticipate that 150 high school students from two high schools will pair up with mentors from across the state and begin exploring their postsecondary options.

Over the coming weeks, we’re expected to expand to Cabell, Greenbrier, Pocahontas and Wyoming counties as we stride to reach our goal of 1500 students! Keep checking back for updates.

As always, we encourage you to join us by becoming a WV eMentor and share your career story in just 15 minutes a week.

January is National Mentoring Month and The Education Alliance proudly offers working and retired adults an unique mentoring opportunity through its WV eMentoring program. Prior to the wide-spread use of technology, mentoring meant  face-to-face with a child if the mentor expected to have an impact.  However, the Internet has made it possible to make a difference from the comfort of your home or office. WV eMentoring pairs the traditional mentoring concept with online activities that keep students engaged and help volunteers get involved without sacrificing time away from an office or business.

To celebrate National Mentoring Month, WV eMentoring is participating in I Am A Mentor! social media day on Facebook today. We encourage our current WV eMentors to change their profile pictures to show they’re proud to serve as a WV eMentor. Stories and comments will be shared throughout the day on The Education Alliance Facebook page and on the official I Am A Mentor Facebook page. We want everyone to know that WV eMentoring is an effective, convenient and fun mentoring program.  We hope you will join us!

This spring, 1,600 interested students need you to take 15 minutes a week to share your career story with them. If you aren’t a WV eMentor, please help us serve these students by signing up!

Just this fall, WV eMentoring has helped more than 170 students from Marion, Pocahontas and McDowell counties to be paired up with a mentor to discuss and explore what’s next after high school graduation.  There are more than 1500 interested students from 11 high schools in seven counties that want to participate, but WV eMentoring currently does not have enough mentors to serve.

Please consider becoming a WV eMentor today so that we can reach our goal to serve these West Virginia high school students. You can make an impact on a student’s life in just 15 minutes a week. To learn more, click here.