What Mentorship Actually Looks Like
One year into mentoring at Street School Tulsa and I finally feel like I understand what mentorship actually means. 💡
When I first stepped into this role, I struggled to define success. I wasn’t a parent, therapist, teacher, or coach. There were no grades attached to the work. No performance review. No obvious scoreboard to point at and say, “See? Progress.”
What I’ve learned is that a lot of the most important growth lives in the intangibles.
For some students, consistency itself is unfamiliar. A reliable weekly touchpoint. Someone showing up when they said they would. Someone willing to listen long enough to build trust before trying to challenge perspective. Over time, I watched walls slowly come down through a delicate balance of presence, patience, and pushing past comfort zones together.
The full weight of that hit me recently after the end-of-year mentor appreciation luncheon.
Two students had gotten into an argument earlier that week that required some separation and breath. Both talked with me afterward about recognizing their own role in the situation, but neither really knew how to take accountability without showing weakness or escalating things further. We spent time unpacking emotional regulation, ego, reactivity, and the importance of breaking patterns before they become identity.
As I was leaving, I happened to witness the mentees reconnect on their own. No prompting. Nothing dramatic. Just a quiet, authentic “my bad about the other day” exchange that carried more weight than either of them probably realized.
And honestly, it connected everything for me.
That was the work.
Not perfection. Not polished transformation stories. Just two young people interrupting old destructive cycles long enough to choose something healthier instead.
My own life has been guided alongside mentors and heavily measured through grades, titles, and external milestones. Becoming a mentor myself has reminded me that some of the most meaningful work happens much earlier in the process. Sometimes the greatest impact comes from helping solidify a less-visible foundation that allows someone to springboard into a future for themselves.
Really grateful for this first year with Street School and the opportunity to learn alongside some incredibly resilient students.
Congrats Class of 2026 🎓
If you want to learn more about the school’s mission or become a mentor yourself: https://www.streetschool.org/
The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of any company or clients.
