At the core of Minds Matter Bay Area are the stories of those whose life trajectories are forever changed by our community of mentors and volunteers.
Angeline, Benton, and Kelly
MMBay student alumna Angeline Ramirez-Dzul is a Class of 2022 graduate and a Sophomore at U.C. Berkeley. Reflecting on her journey with MMBay, Angeline shares how our organization and her mentors made a significant impact on her life:
“My mentors worked hard to help me come out of my shell, and to help me find my voice. They encouraged me to be vulnerable by sharing their own stories, by being vulnerable with me themselves, and opening up to me with their own hopes and fears. The more comfortable I felt to speak up with my mentors, the more I was able to tap into other opportunities and become comfortable speaking up with other people as well. My relationship with Clara and Ana helped me come out of my shell to develop strong relationships with other adults and mentors as well.
Our fears can control us to the point where we don’t want to do anything because if we take any form of action, we think that it will end in failure. What we should do is learn what our strengths are and use them to our advantage. That is what Minds Matter is about. Minds Matter wants low-income students to recognize their strengths in order for them to know that they can overcome challenges and how they can implement those strengths in what they want to do in the future.”
MMBay student alumnus Benton Liang is a Class of 2016 graduate of MMBay, a 2020 graduate of Harvard University, and currently a Software Engineer at Splunk. Benton is also now both a volunteer mentor and instructor at MMBay. Reflecting on his experience, Benton shares how our organization inspired his growth and choices:
“Like other MMBay students, I come from a background where no one in my circle of family and friends could give me academic and career advice. My parents don’t speak English, and they definitely don’t know anything about the college process or how to look for internships. To my high school self, my MMBay mentors had “made it” - they finished college, are going through their career, and were there to help me. They became a personalized bulletin board of opportunities, and tailored these opportunities to what they understood about my strengths. My MMBay mentors were the first people in my life to provide this for me.
All of my life, I have been on the receiving end of others’ support. There is a shared value in giving and receiving. I am now back at MMBay - this time, as a Mentor. Being with MMBay keeps me grounded and honest about the state of students in my community. Further, this is how I can continue to give and receive through serving students who are just like me. There are only so many lives I can live, but through other people I give to and invest in, their lives and their dreams become and extension of my fulfillment.”
MMBay student alumna Kelly Ngo is a Class of 2022 graduate of MMBay, and currently a Sophomore at Johns Hopkins University. Reflecting on her journey with MMBay, Kelly shares how our organization helped her go after her dreams:
“Before MMBay, I had never heard of Johns Hopkins before. Though it was a pricey summer course, MMBay covered the entire Medical School Intensive course and gave me everlasting summer memories. This is actually how I realized I wanted to be in the medical field - through opportunities like this.
MMBay gave me - and will give future mentees who grow up in poverty - the educational opportunities and chances to build your character and build your knowledge on what it takes to prepare for college and life. I was lucky enough to be granted two mentors, which gave me a head start in communicating with adults and learning to collaborate with people who are not my age. Being a first-generation student, it was great to have a mentor who was also a first-generation student, because she could relate to my experience. It felt validating and also encouraging to know that someone like her went through what I’m going through, and has become successful in her life.
Adam, Akash, Jeniece, and Lee
MMBay volunteer Adam Farchone has been with the organization since 2018, and served as a Pod Leader, Mentoring Lead, and Co-Chief Program Officer. Reflecting on his experience, Adam shares how volunteerism and leadership have impacted his life:
“I came to MMBay because I was looking for a chance to work with students again. I started my career in the classroom, but don’t have the opportunity to work as closely with kids through my current career in biotech and tech.
As the years went by, I realized that MMBay is also just a wonderful community in which young professionals like myself can learn the work of leadership. When I became Co-Chief Program Officer, I had the chance to run a 30-person leadership team that impacted the lives of 80 students and influenced the decisions of hundreds of mentors, instructors, and class leaders. This experience helped me to see how strategy translates to execution in a high-functioning organization, and to gain important skills in communication and mentoring others.”
MMBay Board Member Akash Pradhan has been with the organization since 2013, previously serving as a mentor (for Benton Liang, our student alumnus speaker) and CFO, before joining our Board of Directors in 2020.
“What always drew me to MMBay was how focused we are on solving a very specific problem. There is a particular subset of students who have the talent and drive to go to college, but often they are not matched to the best colleges and to their most ideal careers. By harnessing a network of excellent professionals to serve dedicatedly as volunteers in our organization, not only are we providing a programmatic service to helping our kids access their dream colleges and careers, we are also providing a lifelong community of people who will champion our kids no matter where they are in their ongoing journey. Being a mentor for Benton made me realize that this friendship goes far beyond the scope of a high-school program.”
MMBay volunteer Jeniece Howe has been with the organization since 2019, and served as a Pod Leader, Mentoring Lead, and Chief Program Officer. Reflecting on her experience, Jeniece shares what motivates her to volunteer at MMBay:
“I was a classroom teacher for 5 years. Teaching was a worthy struggle. Both of the schools I taught at were in poor neighborhoods where I worked with young adults who were deemed at-risk because of their socio-economic status.
After taking a break from teaching for some time, I still wanted to work with students and help them realize and achieve their potential. I decided to join MMBay because they did all the things I wished I could have done for my students when I was a teacher.
I’ve stayed as a volunteer with MMBay for 4 years (and counting) because of the community of volunteers - smart, capable, caring individuals who are driven to make a positive impact on the next generation. I’ve had the privilege to work with volunteers across the organization - from the Board, Associate Board, and Steering, to our dedicated Instructors and Mentors, to our committed support teams. And I can honestly say they are all devoted to the mission and motivated to see our mentees succeed.”
MMBay Board Emeritus Director Lee FitzGerald has been with the organization since 2013, and served as our Board Chair in 2016-18 and in 2020-23. Reflecting on his experience, Lee shares how his involvement with MMBay has impacted his life:
“I first became involved at MMBay because a younger professional at our firm was volunteering his Saturdays to mentor a student with this organization. Knowing what the workload looked like at our firm, I was amazed not only by his work ethic, but was also intrigued to learn more about an organization that was able to attract talented and terrific people like himself.
I’ve now been involved with MMBay for over a decade. I’ve seen it grow from being a passion project entirely built and run by volunteers, to becoming a professionalized organization led by leaders who comprehend the specific and unique value held within this incredible community.
I’ve always believed that MMBay is really about two stories: the story of our students, who must overcome immense odds and who deserve our support to help them reach their potential; and the story of our volunteers, who not only offer service but also a lifetime of friendship and support to our students. MMBay remains best-in-class as an organization that bridges the gap between low-income students and excellent young professionals who might otherwise never have crossed paths.”