Hi, I'm Karen and I'm on the Volunteer Leadership Board of StreetWise Partners. Philanthropy and volunteerism are very important to me—giving my time/skills is how I pay forward the opportunities I’ve enjoyed. When I was looking for a longer-term volunteer position about four years ago, my fond memories of mentors I’d had came to mind.

I wanted to really develop a relationship with someone and help them uncover abilities they didn’t realize they had. I was attracted to StreetWise Partners’ mantra of “skills for work, confidence for life”, as well as their model of pairing mentors for their Career Ventures Program.

I co-mentored with Mantej at their NY Stock Exchange site in Spring 2014. Our trainee was Mathew, a young father attending community college. Mathew started out shy and unsure of himself, but knew he was interested in finance. Mantej and I steered him through various modules, but above all we worked on his self-esteem. It was a pleasure to see Mathew’s confidence grow over the weeks. Coincidentally, Mathew transferred to Baruch College right when I started my master’s there.

Being a StreetWise mentor was truly rewarding. Besides seeing Mathew succeed, I also expanded my network, honed valuable skills to use in my career, and gained friendships with people I may not have met otherwise. 

Please consider donating to StreetWise Partners-- this wonderful program enables deserving, motivated people to uncover something in themselves they didn’t realize they had. Thank you in advance for your support!