I am a Teen Trendsetter Reading Mentor
By: Isabel Kilzi

In elementary school, I used to think that high school students were so grown-up. They were the “big kids.” It would make my day just to have one of them smile at me. To have one of those “grown-ups” be my friend and come visit me every week would have been so cool.

Students from elementary schools around the state got the chance to become friends with the big kids through the Teen Trendsetter Reading Mentors program. This new program, started by Gov. Jeb Bush’s Mentoring Initiative and Florida Trend’s NEXT magazine, helps children learn to read. Thirty high school students from across the state were selected from an essay contest to begin the program in their community. I was one of the lucky ones.

Along with the others, I won a trip to Universal Orlando during the summer to attend a special summit where I met Gov. Bush and received training from the Florida Department of Education. I left the training session bursting with ideas.
 
Making It Happen
As soon as I got home to Miami, I began to plan how I would get the program started. That fall, I encouraged students at St. Brendan High to become mentors. The response was amazing. I never thought that it would get as big as it did. I recruited 40 students who were as excited as I was about making a difference.

After a week of training, we started mentoring 46 Banyan Elementary School children. It was so much fun, and the children really enjoyed our company. We gave them a learning environment with games that nurtured reading skills but were also fun.

Throughout the year, we did special activities to reward the children for their hard work, like dressing up in costumes and reading folk tales from different countries and planting flowers in Banyan’s butterfly garden — a little something to remind them of the friends they made. When we made Valentines in February, some of the children made cards for their mentors. It was very touching.

The program was a hit for the children and the mentors. The children felt a sense of pride when they realized that they were on their way to becoming first-class readers. Mentor Camila de Varona says, “I love working with kids, so this was an AWESOME experience for me. I see how the kids have improved their reading, and that gives me a great feeling of success!” Teen Trendsetters was a success.

Why me? Why you?
Teen Trendsetters is a worthy cause, and I recommend the program to anyone who wants to participate in something bigger than themselves. Words cannot explain the pride I feel every time I walk into a classroom at Banyan Elementary and see one of the Teen Trendsetter Reading Mentors who I recruited reading a book with a third-grader. To know that I have made a difference in the life of a child is extraordinary.

Anthropologist and author Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” The Teen Trendsetter Reading Mentors program is living proof.




We are Teen Trendsetters. You can be too!

This program gives you something that no club or extracurricular activity can. Mentoring is such a gratifying experience, and knowing that you have touched a child’s life is the most awesome experience ever!
Liz Dunn, 17
J.M. Tate High School, Cantonment


You may think you’re too hip or you don’t have time to be a mentor, but give it a try. You’ll see how good you’ll feel for helping.
Slobodan Juric, 18
BETA at Gibbs High School, St. Petersburg






Because of this program I understand that the youth is the future, and they all need to be able to read and write effectively.
Matthew Milask, 19
Spanish River High School Graduate, Boca Raton



The TTRM program allows children to say, “If you can do it, so can I.” Your presence with a child now could impact their future. Don’t you have that one person that you remember changing your life in some way?
Stephanie Westendorf, 16
Fort Myers High School




This program was one of the most rewarding things that I’ve ever done. It can be quite challenging! But it beats being a couch potato after school, and it helps you meet your community service hours for scholarships. It’s a win-win opportunity.
Sarah E. Cox, 16
Leon High School, Tallahassee



The Teen Trendsetters Reading Mentors
Founding Partners
Governor's Mentoring Initiative
Florida Trend's NEXT Magazine

In cooperation with
Florida Association of Partners in Education

Premier Sponsor
AAA Auto Club South

Curriculum Sponsor
Florida Lottery

Gold Sponsors
Florida Lottery
Comcast
The Rosen Centre Hotel
Universal Orlando

Silver Sponsors
Cooper & Hayes
Golin Harris
Just Read, Florida!
Office Depot, Inc.
Scholastic
Verizon