Less than two years ago, Talbot Mentors decided to merge with the start-up Mid-Shore Scholars organization to expand their mission to improve young people’s personal and professional lives. In this case, Mentors folded in the Mid-Shore Scholars program to ensure that high school students were supported as they sought out higher education and the daunting challenges that come with the admissions process.
Two recent examples of this outstanding support are worth sharing with the community. One of their first students just completed her first semester at Washington College. Sheily Bartolon Perez passed all her courses with straight A’s even while coping with remote classes and the lack of the anticipated time with her professors.
Her cousin, Naiset Perez, took note of Sheily’s successful transition to college and also joined the Scholars program. Just a few weeks ago, she found in her email inbox the extraordinary news that she had been accepted at Dartmouth College, one of the most competitive undergraduate programs in the country.
For Talbot Mentors executive director Gerson Martinez, along with program director Vivian Landau, this kind of track record demonstrates that some of the region’s most disadvantaged young people can, with the right kind of support, find themselves attending some of the most demanding schools and thrive academically.
While Martinez is the first to note that Naiset and Sheily’s success stories have come early in a long-term strategy for Talbot Mentors, this kind of “proof of concept” has made everyone at the organization feel like they have something to celebrate.
This video is approximately five minutes in length. For more information about Talbot Mentors please go here.
Mary Hunt-Miller says
Congratulations to Sheily and Naiset, to their mentors and to the leadership at Talbot Mentors and Mid-Shore Scholars! This is a very heart warming and inspirational story of which we, the residents of Talbot County, can take great pride. Thank you for leading the way to a more inclusive country.