Director's Message for April 2006

A monthly e-newsletter for current and future women of color doctoral candidates. This month, instead of the Director's message, we feature three of SisterMentors girls. Click here to learn more about our mentoring program.

FEATURING THE WONDERFUL GIRLS IN SISTERMENTORS

"SisterMentors has been a huge building block in my life since I was in the 8th grade. We have done so many wonderful things as a group, that I would have never been able to experience on my own. I am now in the 11th grade, and because of SisterMentors, I am more prepared for college after I graduate from high school. I have met with many other sisters of color who have also been groomed by SisterMentors and have been able to accomplish their goals. I am blessed to have these sisters as a part of my life and take from them parts of their experiences in hopes that I too will be able to make my dreams a reality."

Meghan Tuck, 11th Grade

SisterMentors helps us to stay focused on everything. For us, SisterMentors' goal is to help us, girls of color, become proud of who we are. While we are worrying and focusing on our future, SisterMentors is taking care of us. We have been with SisterMentors since middle school and we can honestly say that at first we weren't as serious about SisterMentors as we should have been. Maybe it was our lack of knowledge but it didn't really concern us then. That was then, this is now. I guess you can say our maturity level grew because now we understand the importance of SisterMentors and how many doors it has opened for us.

We think that it's truly one of the greatest programs in the Metropolitan, D.C. area. We're so grateful that we have a chance to be a part of it. SisterMentors has opened our eyes so much in the years we've spent with them. Dr. Lewis and the other SisterMentors women have had such a positive impact on our lives and on our view of the future. Hopefully they will continue with their great efforts so that there will be many other lucky girls like us who will see a bright future ahead of them, thanks to this program.

We thank SisterMentors and everybody else who donate their money and volunteer their time to help our various college trips to places such as the University of Virginia, George Mason University, the University of Maryland College Park, and many more coming our way. Everyone in SisterMentors including mentors, chaperons, students and donors all add different components to help us be successful.

Being a part of SisterMentors has had a big impact on our lives. And we are so grateful to have such a tremendous experience. So thank you, SisterMentors. Thank you, Dr. Lewis. Thanks to everyone. For caring.

Arsema Ghirmai, 11th Grade
Sara Estefanos, 11th Grade