Dr. Kim Hunter Reed, Commissioner of Higher Education, shared how important each mentee is to the state of Louisiana and how the state needs them, their talents, and abilities; encouraging them to reach higher and to go beyond where they are now.
Keynote speaker, Attorney Joshua T. Hollins from the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, shared three main ingredients for success; "the importance of mentorship, the importance of your choices and decisions, and the importance of your character."
Founder of Aspire to Inspire, Program Administrator and Lead Mentor, Khristopher Hobbs, said, “A2I started with a goal and a vision for a mentoring program that would honor those who are often taken for granted or left out. I wanted to help provide that extra push and be the kind of mentor that I needed years ago.”
A2I has grown from its inception three years ago, from serving 50 mentees to now mentoring more than 344 mentees around the state.
Former mentee and now current mentor, Nicolas Cobb, joined the program in October of 2016. He said, "A2I gave him a platform and the confidence to embrace who he is because he didn't know who he was before."
Closing out the program, LOSFA Field Outreach Director, Dr. Tireka Cobb, told the students that "everybody has a past, but it's about your future and how people are working every day to make sure you make it to that future."
Dr. Sujuan Boutte, LOSFA's Executive Director, reminded students to “Invest in yourself because it’s the only investment you’ll make in your life where you control the return.”
A2I maintains a 100 percent graduation rate. From 2015 – 2018, 129 high school seniors received their high school diploma.
For more information about LOSFA's Aspire to Inspire comprehensive mentoring program, click
here
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