Bob Preti's work with Student Sponsor Partners began two years ago, when researching mentorship opportunities. In his early teaching career, Bob was witness to the profound positive effects mentors have on students. Being a mentor through SSP was inspired by his early career and by the Black Lives Matter movement. “I didn't want to lose that feeling. I wanted to find purposeful work to do in the area of equity," he told us.
Bob is grateful to have received many mentors throughout his life. One specific person did not come to mind when he thought of the guidance he received, but instead, many different people, “a high school teacher here or an aunt or uncle there.” Bob recalled a time when a professor approached him after a lecture he had presented – that relationship ultimately guided Bob into his career in the field of advanced therapies.
Bob said there are times like this, when the spark of human connection ignites passion in common interests, and you cannot help but wonder: “There are these people in your life – why? Why was I there in that moment?” In considering deeply the fortune of these encounters, Bob recognized a desire to create the same opportunities for others. “I want to give that back,” he said. “We all have the same insecurities, same doubts and weakness, but I had opportunity.”
Last year, Bob was an SSP mentor and sponsor to Jake at Cardinal Hayes High School, who is now a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania. Bob spoke about all he has learned from being a mentor to Jake and how he hopes to grow in his new mentorship with Carlo. Experience mentoring has taught Bob the importance of the balancing act – providing advice and providing the conditions to let others make decisions. He said, “when you're in a leadership position, it's easy to tell people the right thing to do. You simply don't take off as a company, or as an individual, if you're telling everybody what to do.” Going forward, Bob has made it a goal to not put his value judgment on his mentee. “I want to be on his shoulder, I want to be in his ear, but I don't want to tell him what to do.”
The intention and dedication Bob puts into his role as a mentor is what makes mentorships endure. Bob described Carlo as, “remarkable” and “quick-witted.” He wishes that Carlo gets “a clear sense of who he is and a realistic sense of his capabilities, and that he ends up with a strong belief of those capabilities as well as the courage to pursue them.”
Though we all need guidance, even those of us who are guiding, Bob reminds us how simple it is to be there for another human being. He said, “I want Carlo to feel like I am a person he can call and talk to.” We are thankful for our mentors who show SSP’s values in their work and in their relationships!
