Am I a mentor?

It’s a good thing I wore my high heels to the Jr. Chamber meeting on Thursday, otherwise I could have easily been mistaken for a high school student.

Natasha Colbaugh

That’s the reason why I find it difficult to believe they wanted me to mentor one of the young members. I guess I am a professional, but am I a mentor. I’m not sure about that.

The young lady I spoke with said she had lived in Campbell County all her life. She didn’t want more schooling after high school and that is when I started inserting my opinion. It’s so important to finish college while your young.

I told her to take a little time and travel, but when she’s done to get her butt in a university. In five years she will have a leg up on others with a college degree and the job market will certainly have changed by then. It frustrates me that the youth are sick of school. The main reason is because I would give anything to be 19 again and in college. It was so fun in those days. And frankly it’s an experience I think every young girl should have. For me it created structure and purpose in my life. It was no longer the question of what’s to become of me, instead the question was what am I going to become.

I don’t think the youth should be burdened with how much a university cost. There is plenty of time to worry about finances when you’re older. I find myself consumed with thinking about money, but when I was in college I would work odd jobs here and there if I needed anything. Waitressing, painting houses and answering phones were a few of the small jobs I did in school. Sometime the money went toward tuition and other times it was squandered on white chocolate mochas.

Another thing about college is the relationships created there seem to last the rest of our lives. Some of my best friends in the world I met at Lee University. One good friend is from Ecuador and we still remain in contact promising to visit each other one day.

But speaking of travel, I was able to do that in college too. One summer I drove across the country to California-an experience I will never forget. And still later on I was able to spend a summer in France learning the language for college credit.

Being at a university creates opportunities that otherwise would be unknown.

I explained the importance of schooling to this young girl. I don’t know if she will heed my advice but I hope she does.

Being a journalist is one of the best decisions I ever made. I would like to think that all people are this satisfied with their chosen profession.  I guess that’s another reason to further your education-to learn more about yourself and the world around us.