Mentor of the Month

Rashad Brugmann has been named the MGCI Mentor of the Month. MGCI Mentors is an initiative that took off this year that is both co-founded and co-chaired by JiaRui Pu in Grade 12 and Lola Wazir in Grade 11. The program allows junior students to be paired with senior students by placing senior mentors in Grade 9 classes during their spare period.

MGCI Mentors encourages learning in a positive and supportive setting. The club aims to create a sense of togetherness and community.

“Mentors and students are interacting really well and they both seem to benefit from each other,” commented JiaRui. “We have seen some really enthusiastic individuals who have taken the initiative on many levels to create a sense of community for the students.”

The role of a mentor includes engaging the students, offering a senior perspective while sharing their own experiences, and above all, being a friend.

The Mentor of the Month is chosen by teacher recommendations. Rashad, a Grade 12 student, volunteered to become a mentor in early September when the program was taking off.  

“I have a number of mentors in my life who have really guided me through tough times and helped me with my personal development,” said Rashad. “I’d like to pay that forward to others.” He added that he liked to connect with the Grade 9s in his classes.

“Being a mentor is more taxing that you’d initially think. I’m already pretty busy and it takes a lot of energy to be engaging students for a whole period. Sometimes it can be really tough to connect with students too, and that feels awkward.”

MGCI Mentors is experiencing a shortage of mentors with increasing demand. If you are interested in becoming a mentor, e-mail [email protected]. Likewise, teachers are encouraged to consider introducing the program into their classrooms.