Walking down the bus steps and up the bus ramp, heart pounding fast, it was the first day of school. Walking into the school, the first person who is recognizable in the middle of unfamiliar faces is a mentor. In the middle of the bustling hallway filled with chattering students, the mentor stands out with their warm smile. Relief floods over the new student as they make eye contact, knowing they have a familiar face to guide them through the first day.

“Having a mentor who can guide you through an unfamiliar place always makes everything a lot easier.” senior Huyen Nguyen said.

To ease all new students, any current student who has been here for at least a year is given a chance to be a mentor upon joining the club No Tigers Left Behind (NTLB). 

“Kerr’s curriculum is atypical and can be difficult for students to keep up with, so having mentors through NTLB helps set mentees up for success, whether it’s through receiving crucial advice or hearing about experiences,” senior Nicole Le said.

Through a simple matching process, mentors and mentees can reach out to each other before and during the school year to exchange questions and concerns.

“I think [my mentor and I] first connected on Instagram,” freshman Helin Wang said. “I was interested in a mentor since I came from an out-of-district middle school and didn’t really know how Kerr or Alief worked.”

This opportunity gave her someone to reach out to when she had questions that could only be answered by people with experience.

“Through my mentor, I was also introduced to teachers and counselors during Cub Camp that helped me to better navigate to a new school,” Wang said.

Besides helping with the transition to a new environment, mentors can be sources that help connect mentees with others when they meet up.

“The club has a fixed schedule of prepared meetings that are held during school hours,” senior Huyen Nguyen said. 

Mentors and mentees are given designated dates and locations to meet and communicate in person at Mixers which are typically held once a month during advisory. 

“During one of the mixers, [my mentor] advised me to choose or not choose certain classes in the future and I think that would help me to choose the right classes,” Wang said.

However, these mixers became less and less frequent towards the spring semester. 

“During our board meeting last school year, the officers and lead mentors addressed the club’s problems and we brainstormed solutions,” Le said.

The solution they came up with was to group a lead mentor and a couple of mentors and mentees to complete group activities like Kahoot and discuss random topics selected monthly. 

“I remember playing Kahoot with other mentors and mentees which was fun since it almost became a competition,” Wang said “It felt kind of like our connection got just a bit closer.”

These activities are aimed at increasing communication, which is something that the club is struggling with.

“Considering what we discussed last school year, I believe that NTLB’s goal is to improve how mentors communicate with their mentees [as] communication is still an issue,” Le said.

Another dilemma NTLB is facing is the need for more mentors. Officers are concerned that some mentors might end up with multiple mentees.

“Even if some mentors take on a second mentee, one mentee may receive less attention than the other,” Le said. “I believe that each mentee deserves to be given proper attention because their first year at Kerr is vital.”

Currently, officers are looking for ways to attract more students to join NTLB. 

“I want to encourage others around me to become mentors, and even lead mentors,” Le said.