In the Spotlight: IISTL Youth Mentoring Seniors

By Marisa Tesoro

There’s so much to celebrate with IISTL’s Youth Mentoring (YM) seniors who are all headed off to college!

Rahma and her siblings came to the United States in November 2018. She’s been in the International Institute of St. Louis’ afterschool tutoring program ever since, and she’s been participating in the Youth Mentoring program since IISTL’s program began in the spring of 2019.

“She consistently attends and really puts in the work,” said Katherine Schoeberle, IISTL’s Teen Program Coordinator.

Not only has she been putting in the work, but her older sister and brother have been working multiple jobs to support Rahma and her younger sister as they don’t have any other family ties here.

And this spring, all their hard work paid off when Rahma received a full ride to attend Lindenwood University. She’ll now be able to pursue her dream of being a pediatric nurse and get the full college experience, living on campus, while still being close to home.

Although Lindenwood is currently in the process of gaining a fully accredited nursing program, Rahma will still be able to get her degree from them thanks to an agreement with Washington University.

She had her heart set on attending Lindenwood AND pursuing this degree, and Schoeberle encouraged her to make it happen, even if it meant taking a nontraditional route.

Schoeberle remembers their discussion:

[Lindenwood] said they’re probably not going to be able to have a first group until 2024. But she really wants to be a pediatric nurse, and she was telling me about it. She said, ‘I really want to go to Lindenwood where they gave me a full ride, but they don’t have nursing.’ And then she said, ‘Well, I guess I could do anything in health care,’ and I said, ‘No, no, no, you do not give up your dream of being a pediatric nurse,’ you know? ‘We’ll figure it out.’

And Rahma isn’t the only YM participant with achievements to celebrate!

Sahar, a refugee from Afghanistan who arrived in January 2020, just committed to attending St. Louis University (SLU), her dream school.

“When Sahar first came to me, she said, ‘I really want to go to SLU,’” Schoeberle said. So Schoeberle reached out to her contacts and past professors at the university to see if they could recommend anyone to be Sahar’s mentor.

SLU’s business school recommended Hannah Craft, and she’s been Sahar’s mentor ever since.

Craft is currently a third-year SLU student balancing two jobs, two service commitments and a full class load, and she’s the VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Dean of Students Board at the Business School.

Still, Craft said:

Being Sahar’s mentor is extremely rewarding. As a 21-year-old myself, I know how difficult being a senior is and how confusing and stressful applying for financial aid and college was so being able to be her guiding light for her has been an honor… I would not trade this experience or the friendship I have made with Sahar for anything. I still remember Sahar finding out how old I was and saying “we could be sisters… or friends” and I responded, “are you telling me we aren’t friends already” and we both laughed. Her stories and determination inspire me every day to do more and be a better person and while she might feel she owes me for the help I’ve been, I will never be able to repay her for the positive impact she has made on my life. 

“She’s amazing,” Schoeberle said of Craft. “She’s gone to all the interviews, helped her with all the scholarship applications. Like she’s put in a lot of hours.”

Craft even went so far as to reach out to donors and faculty at the business school when it looked like Sahar might need additional financial assistance.

“I have been reaching out to faculty and donors at SLU’s business school because I recognized that Sahar was not getting the financial support or recognition she deserved,” Craft said. “She deserves a seat at the table as much as anyone else does, and I chose to make it my job to get her there.”

Now that support may prove to be key as some of Sahar’s scholarships are not renewable after her first year of college. Sahar’s all set at the moment with a $22K/year scholarship from SLU, $5K/year SLU higher purpose scholarship, $2K/year SLU housing award, $20K more in grant assistance, about $7K in Pell Grant money, and an $8.5K scholarship from the College Club, which helps first-generation students pay for their degrees. She’ll be studying marketing and be able to pursue both her interests of business and art and get the quintessential college experience living on campus while still being close to home.

When reflecting on the other high school seniors in the YM program, Schoeberle notes that the four other seniors are heading off to St. Louis Community College!

Now that they’ve navigated the college admissions process and applying for scholarships and financial aid, they’ll all be on their way to the bright futures they more than deserve. And the villages surrounding these individuals, lifting them up, could not be more thrilled.