A True Believer

BY JOAN THARP

SUMMER 2005 -- Jerome White's passion for mentoring developed slowly, after he casually attended an informational session about Child Advocates. There, he learned about the need for advocates -- especially male advocates -- for the hundreds of abused and neglected kids that Child Advocates watches over.

That was seven years ago. Today, after being an advocate for two young men, the 31-year-old Mountain View resident has decided to switch careers from mechanical engineering to teaching high school math so that mentoring and teaching can be more than something he does after work.

Jerome's eyes are wide open about being a mentor to the kind of troubled kids that Child Advocates serves. He currently is an advocate and mentor for "Terry" (not his real name), a theatrically inclined young man struggling to finish high school and stay out of trouble.

Early on, when Jerome learned about Terry's interest in singing and dancing, Jerome looked into theaters that welcomed young people and discovered San Jose's Children's Musical Theater. Terry auditioned for a part in the theater's production of "Smokey Joe's Café," and landed a leading role. For three months, Jerome made sure Terry had a ride to rehearsals, and worked on props and sets to fulfill the theater's requirement that family members of participants give 20 hours of volunteer service.

Jerome was there for nearly every performance. So was Terry's family, from whom he had been estranged. One night, after a particularly terrific performance, Terry turned to Jerome and said, "Man, I can't believe it. I wouldn't be doing any of this if I didn't have an advocate." Jerome calls it the defining moment of being a mentor. "Through all the ups and downs, wondering if I was making any progress, I look back at this and see -- yes, I made a difference."

Jerome holds that memory close these days as he waits to learn the fate of Terry, who recently got into trouble again, jeopardizing his chances of being released from the court system. You can hear the disappointment in Jerome's voice when he says: "Every time I think I'm making a difference with this kid, something like this happens." Still, he says, he keeps his faith in mentoring. "Who knows how much worse off he would have been if I hadn't been in his life?"

find out more

	Meet Some Mentors
	Wanted: Many More Mentors (main story) Back From the Brink: Marina and Winnie A Newbie: Tiffany and Thuy Waiting for a Mentor: Luis The Nerd and the Artist: Mike and Marty A True Believer: Jerome's Story Mentoring Organizations and Resources

"Through all the ups and downs, wondering if I was making any progress, I look back at this and see – yes, I made a difference."

- Mentor Jerome White