National Mentoring Month Celebration

Asian American LEAD (AALEAD) celebrated National Mentoring Month by honoring the incredible mentors who guide and inspire our youth. The Mentoring Celebration featured engaging workshops, fun activities like the spaghetti tower energizer, and heartfelt stories from mentor-mentee pairs, including Arlene and Hanh, who have grown together through shared experiences from cosplay to college guidance. It was inspiring to see quiet youth connect with mentors, and to have parents and family members join in support. The event highlighted the power of mentorship in helping young people thrive, build confidence, and believe in their potential.

“I attended the AALEAD Mentoring Celebration, and was moved by the attendance and how engaged everyone was throughout the day. We had great participation throughout our different workshops (especially our spaghetti tower energizer!), and we got to hear stories about different pairs’ mentoring relationships and how they’ve grown. I was especially glad to see some of our quieter youth actively participate and connect with some of our other mentors as their own mentors were unable to attend. I also appreciated all the parents and other family members who attended the event and supported their youth in the program!” - AALEAD Team Member

“At the mentor month celebration, it was so moving to hear from Arlene (mentor) and Hanh (mentee). They both talked about how they navigated their own identities before joining AALEAD and how much fun they’ve been having together, cosplaying at anime conventions and more! Their relationship together has grown a lot over the last year. Hanh is going to college soon and Arlene has been helping her navigate the whole process. I am so proud of them and will be sad to not have Hanh’s bubbly presence in our program anymore!” - AALEAD Manager