Women’s History Month is a dedicated month to reflect on the often-overlooked contributions of women to United States history. The timeline of women’s history milestones stretches back to the founding of the United States.

Consider reviewing the this timeline of Women's Footprint in History with your mentee, and reflecting on the contributions of women in your own life.

Young Women's Leadership Symposium

Do you mentor a high school-aged young woman? If so, she may be interested in attending the Young Women's Leadership Symposium on March 25, 2023.

The mission of the Young Women's Leadership Symposium is to inspire and develop our future women leaders by giving them access to and leveraging the successes of current women leaders.

Attendees have the option to attend in person or virtually from any location around the United States. There is no fee to participate!

How did you become involved with mentoring through Hillsborough Education Foundation? My employer, Citi, introduced me to Hillsborough Education Foundation and the Take Stock in Children (TSIC) mentorship program. After joining a Lunch-And-Learn for the TSIC program, any self-doubts I had were quickly put at ease. HEF has set me up for success providing me with grade-specific resources, tools and direct staff support to guide me and keep me on track.

What has been the most rewarding part of mentoring?  Watching these young adults learn and grow in their personal journey. It has been nothing short of inspirational. Sometimes the tables turn and I find myself on the receiving end of a pep talk from my mentee. That type of reverse-mentoring builds confidence and develops life skills.

What do you believe is the key to being a quality mentor? It sounds almost too simple but being consistently present is the foundation for building and maintaining trust. As mentors, we are not expected to have all of the answers. You only need a mindset and passion for helping these students navigate challenges, celebrate their accomplishments, and being a trusted advisor. 

When you are not working with students, how do you prefer to spend your free time? Outside of mentoring, I love to read and be on or near the water. I’m usually chilling with a fiction book on my front porch or at the beach. I also row with the Tampa Rowing Club on the Hillsborough River on weekends. If I’m not in a rowing boat, you’ll find me on my paddleboard with my dogs, who enjoy riding along with me.

What do you hope your mentee will learn from you?  We are all human and better together. Collectively, we have more in common than what we see on the surface. One of my favorite quotes is from an African proverb: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

Why is Exploring Careers Important?

Opportunities for career exploration give young people broader exposure to the working world they will one day enter. It helps them "connect the dots" between school and career in ways that keep them motivated to graduate with the skills they will need for the future.

When a mentor explores careers with their mentee, mentors further discover their mentee's likes, dislikes, passions and dreams, while helping the student create and refine goals. 

Ideas & Resources

Career Clusters & Pathways: Career Clusters are 16 broad groups of occupations and industries. These clusters are further divided into pathways, which show more specific career areas with similar knowledge and skill requirements.

Activity Idea: Ask your mentee, "What are your interests, passions, likes and dislikes?" Then review this infographic with them and help them figure out which cluster(s) includes the occupations that match their interests.

Roadtrip Nation:  Roadtrip Nation empowers individuals to explore who they are and what they want to do with their lives. Through a public television series, online resources, and an educational curriculum, Roadtrip Nation helps career-seekers connect to real-world professionals and discover pathways aligned with their interests.

Activity Idea: Have your mentee complete Roadtrip Nation's brief interest form and help them review the careers that match their passions and interests.

BigFuture by CollegeBoard: This resources allows students to review hundreds of majors and careers in a very user friendly website. 

The Take Stock Team is happy to introduce our newest team member, Amari Smith! 

Amari will be working with the mentors and students at these schools: Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate H.S., Dr. Kiran C. Patel H.S., Freedom H.S., Gaither H.S., King H.S., Smith M.S., Sickles H.S., Steinbrenner H.S., Tomlin M.S., Wharton H.S., and Winthrop College Prep Academy.

Learn some fun facts about Amari:

What are you liking most about your new role as a College Success Coach at HEF? So far, I am enjoying getting to know my new coworkers and learning the ropes. I am looking forward to meeting my students and building relationships with them!

Who was your favorite teacher and why? My favorite teacher was a professor in college who changed my perspective on a lot of social topics. He allowed for true discussions in class and never made any student feel wrong for their opinion.

What was your first job? My first job was a hostess at Lee Roy Selmon’s.

If you could have a superpower, what would it be? If I could have a superpower, I would want to time travel.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? If I could travel anywhere in the world, it would be to California during the butterfly migration.

Volunteers Are Needed To Work With Students in SCOPE

In September HEF launched SCOPE (Student Center of Postsecondary Exploration) at King High School, a center for all students to explore and plan for their future. In SCOPE students receive assistance with career and college exploration, college applications, FAFSA, Bright Futures and more.

Volunteers are needed to work with students in SCOPE.

• Volunteers choose the day/time they volunteer; a typical shift is 2-3 hours within school hours (8:30 AM-3:00 PM) on a weekly or biweekly basis.

• This is a regular volunteer experience during the school year (August-May).



• Volunteers receive training including two shadow shifts with HEF’s College & Career Coordinator before meeting individually with students.

For more information, interested mentors should contact Mindy Taylor

or they can sign up here.

Senior Surprised With Scholarship To Cover College Housing

Recently, Suncoast Credit Union recognized Armwood High School student and Take Stock in Children mentee, Daisy, with a scholarship that will cover a full academic year of housing at one of Florida's 40 public colleges and universities. Her school of choice? The University of South Florida!

Daisy is one out of only ten students across the state to receive this scholarship and could not believe the good news when Suncoast Credit Union, HEF and her mentor surprised her at school.

Mark Your Calendar

For more detailed information about the events occurring in Hillsborough County Public Schools, view the HCPS Calendar.