Spotlights
The Educate2Elevate program is offered to a diverse range of individuals that share common academic goals and career interests. Meet and read about the incredible guidance that mentors are able to provide to mentees and the experience of being a mentor.
Mentees
Meet Kimberly Navarro
My name is Kimberly Navarro, and I am a senior attending Orthopaedic Hospital Medical Magnet High School. Being a part of the Orthopaedic Institute for Children’s Educate2Elevate Mentorship program has been a great experience. I joined this program to gain knowledge of the college application process and obtain some guidance. As a first-generation student, I do not have the support or guidance when applying to college, so being able to have a mentor has been a blessing. My mentor goes to UCLA, and I have learned so much from her, and I am forever grateful for everything she has taught me. I have created a great bond with her, and she has inspired me to pursue a career in the medical field. As I provide patient care and advance research, I hope to become a comforting figure to my future patients and their families. - Kimberly Navarro, Senior Mentee at Ortho High and Michelle Argueta, UCLA Mentor
Meet Diana Carlos
My name is Diana Carlos, and I am a senior at Orthopaedic Hospital Medical Magnet High School. I initially joined Educate2Elevate to receive one-on-one support on internship and college applications. My experience in the program has been prodigious and was beyond my expectations. It allowed me to overcome the knowledge gap between first-generation and low-income students. I completed my first year of the program with confidence and great encouragement from my mentor. I appreciated my mentor because she went beyond the curriculum, gave me advice, and took time out of her day to ask if I needed any academic support. Her guidance in my educational journey has helped me stay motivated and revitalized my passion for Neuroscience, a field I hope to pursue in the future. –Diana Carlos, Senior Mentee at Ortho High and Cristina Tom, USC Mentor
Guest Speakers
During workshops, guest speakers have the opportunity to share their journey in finding their passion and experiences within their career field.
Ayden Berkey
Graduating from college during the COVID-19 pandemic meant that job opportunities were few and far between. As I was wrapping up my last few months in school, I naturally began to spend more time looking back on my college experience: things I did right, experiences I had, and things I wish I had done differently. Taking the time to apply for more scholarships was one of those things I wish I had dedicated more time to, since they can really help to reduce the amount of debt you graduate with! In my research on the scholarship space, I couldn’t find many resources out there that conveyed important information but did so in a personal way. This led to the launch of Access Scholarships, a free scholarship search engine and resource platform for students. My goal with Access is to provide students with everything they need to know about financial aid and scholarships, while also offering 1:1 help for students that need it. Educating students and parents on scholarships (and the importance of applying for them) is important to me because it’s a process that can definitely get stressful and confusing. At the end of the day, I want to inform and empower students to take the lead in earning money for college, so they can enjoy their college experience and graduate with as little debt as possible! –Ayden Berkey, Co-Founder of Access Scholarships, University of Wisconsin-Madison