By: Cassidy Jansson, SSP Communications & Marketing Intern
I got to sit down with board member, sponsor, and mentor Lora Robertson. We discussed everything from her start at Student Sponsor Partners in 2005 to ensuring students had the tools to succeed during the pandemic and looking to the future. Below is our conversation . . .
Cassidy: How did you learn about Student Sponsor Partners and what sealed the deal for you to get involved?
Lora: My friend got me involved and once I learned about their mission, I immediately wanted to take part. I was there for the beginning stages of SSP to help put the idea into reality.
Cassidy: How long have you been a part of SSP and how do you/have you contributed to the organization?
Lora: I started engaging with SSP around 2005. In the beginning, I financially sponsored a student while my friend was the mentor. I paid for the tuition and never got to meet her. I then joined the board of directors and became involved with fundraising and strategy setting.
While I was working at Goldman Sachs, I didn’t have time to mentor a student so I got partners at Goldman to come together to raise money for SSP. The senior people raised money while the juniors became mentors to establish a mix of money and time. As a result, 200 kids were sponsored. Then, once I retired from Goldman, I became a mentor and have been one ever since.
Cassidy: Can you talk a little bit about your experience with your first mentee?
Lora: My first mentee graduated in 2020, which means I became her mentor in the fall of 2016. She is the youngest of four kids and has two older brothers. When she was younger, in sophomore and junior year, my mentoring was more about her academics. I suggested getting extra help at school by talking to her teachers and reaching out to her guidance counselor. I would also sometimes call the counselor myself to see what’s happening.
Besides academics, I also gave her advice on social things like the school dances. When she was on the fence about going, I told her to go for an hour to give it a chance and if she didn't like it she could always leave. I reminded her that she could miss out on lots of interesting and fun opportunities to meet people.
Cassidy: How was the college prep process and what's it like to have a role in their academic achievements?
Lora: First off, it was amazing to see the difference in how she transformed over those four years. The college process was challenging in its own ways during the pandemic. I would mentor over the phone and Zoom to talk about the cost benefit analysis of pursuing a bachelor’s degree versus a specific concentration. She wanted to pursue nursing so we looked at great university names against more cost-efficient ones that would take her directly into a nursing program. When she got into nursing school we would talk about how to continue with her academic success and the ways to help pay for the program.
Cassidy: Do you still keep in touch with your mentee?
Lora: Yes, after she graduated, I occasionally met with her during COVID to check in and see how she is handling college.
Cassidy: What fulfillment have you gained and what does mentorship mean to you?
Lora: I’ve been fulfilled knowing that my mentee has a sounding board if she wants to talk about something that’s tricky and she doesn’t want to go to her parents. It helps to have somebody that’s been through similar experiences.
Cassidy: What was the most challenging part of mentoring your mentee?
Lora: She lived in the Bronx, went to school in Manhattan, played a lot of sports, and worked on weekends. Therefore, it was tough to get together sometimes. We met three times a year in the beginning and then twice a year once her schedule got busy. However, we still would text and talk to stay up-to-date on each other.
Cassidy: How has COVID-19 affected SSP?
Lora: As for my time mentoring, this year has been a different experience because of COVID. It used to be that you go to their school freshman year, meet your mentee and their parents. You get to know each other more, get a tour of the school and that kicks off future conversations. However, we were not able to do all of that this year. Instead, we would meet over a Zoom call which made it more challenging to connect at times. I’m hopeful that it will get easier as things open up!
Cassidy: Do you have a specific story from your mentorship experience that stands out?
Lora: SSP had a fun program where students learn about the stock market. Students and mentors collaborate as a team and are given X amount of money to invest. Whoever came in the top three got scholarships to college. As a team, we came in 2nd, and my mentee got $1,500 to apply to her college education.
Cassidy: Moving forward, what are you excited about?
Lora: As SSP is focused on high school years, we have seen lives completely changed since then. Some of them have been my colleagues at Goldman Sachs who have done incredibly well but failed the 8th grade prior to the SSP Program. I’m excited for SSP’s journey to continue, especially with a deeper focus on the college prep process. Debra Vizzi, executive director and SSP alumna, aims to integrate more attention to the college process. I’m grateful to be involved with this new direction to get students ready, not only to get into college but to also succeed there. More focus is being put on skills including resume writing and interviewing. SSP gets students set up on the path where they're going to have a successful career and be able to pay their bills, with hopes that they also pay it forward.
