MENTORS EASE THE TRANSITION FROM HIGH SCHOOL TO THE FUTURE

by Steven Kissinger

EMILY COSTIGAN, LUIS MENDOZA, SHERLANDA AUGUSTE, JOHN COSTIGAN

Erick Hidalgo is a senior at Immokalee High School who was admitted early to Florida Gulf Coast University, where he is enrolled full time. His classes keep him very busy, but he still makes time to tutor younger students at Lake Trafford Elementary School and Immokalee Middle School.

Hidalgo knows that any person can make a big difference in a young life. “The middle school students especially, they see me as a role model,” he said. “They’re deciding things about their future. They know I’m taking all these college classes. I feel like I inspire them.”

Now, the 18-year-old Immokalee native is on the other side of that emotional equation: He has been assigned a mentor. The Immokalee Foundation board member John Costigan will fill that role for Hidalgo, who said he will be looking to Costigan for “life guidance. … I could use some advice about the transition from high school to college life.” Hidalgo, who has been a Take Stock in Children student since his sophomore year of high school, plans to attend the University of Florida next fall to study electrical engineering.

“A lot of Take Stock students come from low-income families and don’t have anyone with college experience,” Costigan said. “They haven’t heard conversations around the dinner table about the ACT and other college-related topics. Their parents want the best for them, and the mentors help fill in the blanks.” Among other qualities, being a good mentor involves talking to the students about their classes and helping determine what career paths interest them since “they all have different abilities,” Costigan said. While Costigan – who earned several degrees and is a retired lawyer – certainly can help Hidalgo adjust to the rigors of college, he also was able to usher along mentee Luis Mendoza in his transition from high school to the U.S. Marine Corps. Mendoza is now in boot camp.

ERICK HIDALGO, TIF STUDENT, AND ROB CHURCHILL, BONITA BAY CLUB ASSISTANT PRO

Costigan was among those who attended a graduation ceremony at Ave Maria in June, when Mendoza and others were recognized. At that time, Mendoza was looking forward to his future military affiliation. “Luis is a wonderful young man with the intelligence, character and commitment to make a fine member of the Marine Corps,” Costigan said.

“The job of a mentor is to provide advice, support and friendship to a young student,” Costigan said. His wife, Emily, also is a mentor. “Emily and I enjoy mentoring because it puts a face on the scholarship program and gives us a very personal connection to the important work of The Immokalee Foundation,” Costigan said. “We feel the students benefit from a perspective they might not otherwise see, and we benefit from feeling we are making a contribution to the success of a very deserving young person.”

January is National Mentoring Month – a good time to think about joining The Immokalee Foundation’s volunteers in shaping the future of a young person.

To learn more about the foundation, volunteering as a mentor, making a donation, including The Immokalee Foundation in your estate plans, or for additional information, call 239.430.9122 or visit www.immokaleefoundation.org.

Steven Kissinger, executive director of The Immokalee Foundation, can be reached at Steven.kissinger@immokaleefoundation.org