AAUW seeks women as mentors for high school girls

FALLBROOK – Fallbrook American Association of University Women is actively seeking qualified mentors for sophomore and junior female students in Fallbrook High School's AVID program. The only requirement is that the mentor must be a member of Fallbrook AAUW and be committed to developing a one-on-one relationship with a high school girl for the remaining two or three years before she graduates.

AAUW is best known as an organization that promotes equality and education for women. Its Fallbrook branch has expanded this concept to include a mentoring program, which has partnered with the AVID program at Fallbrook High School.

AVID students learn a variety of skills that prepare them for success in college. AAUW mentors arrange a wide array of cultural experiences that inspire their mentees to become well-rounded, educated and successful women.

Many of these friendships go on for years after high school graduation. The focus of compassion and encouragement provides more than academics for these girls. Many have returned and shared stories of how their success in college and career could be traced back to what they gained from their mentors.

Two students who are currently in the Fallbrook program, Yadira Duran Zuniga and Laura Guzman, have enjoyed their experiences with their mentors Karen Estes and Barbara Luther for the past several years.

Since the mentoring program also encourages their mentees to be involved in outside philanthropic causes, during the COVID -19 crisis, Zuniga and a group of friends started Toy Village which basically collects unwanted toys, cleans and sanitizes them while wearing masks and gloves and donates them to children whose parents have been financially affected due to the pandemic. They network their charity on Instagram.

In the near future, both girls will be receiving responses, hopefully acceptances, from various colleges and universities. Guzman is looking forward to majoring in child development or psychology, and Zuniga will be pursuing nursing or human biology. They will be the first generation in their families to attend college due, in large part, to the support and tools that were given by AVID and their AAUW mentors.

If interested in learning more about Fallbrook AAUW and its mentorship program, contact Karen Langer Baker at 760-500-0393 or see https://fallbrook-ca.aauw.net.

Submitted by Fallbrook AAUW.