Why I Mentor with MIKE
Katie Hernandez
Assignments: Miller Education Center West in 2017 and Bridges Academy in 2018
I became a MIKE mentor to provide resources and build meaningful connections to help youth in their future experiences. Mentoring with MIKE has helped me build trusting relationships with the youth and helped develop my holistic understanding of health. The most memorable experience is watching the youth gain confidence with the ability to articulate health science information and implement it into their own lives.
Katie graduated from the University of Texas—Austin with a degree in microbiology, attended Portland State University Graduate School of Epidemiology; and will continue her education in medical school.
Nancy Lohkamp
Assignment: De La Salle North Catholic High School, Fall 2017
I wanted to become a MIKE mentor to promote positive changes to the health of youth through education. I was impressed how quickly the youth picked up on the concepts of healthy eating and how much ownership they took in that message with their Health Leadership Projects.
Mentoring with MIKE has helped me gain experience working with youth through volunteering, which will help me in completing my nursing degree—and I drink more water!
Nancy is a registered nurse with Kaiser Permanente and a nursing student at Linfield College School of Nursing.
Manikandan Woodward
Assignment: De La Salle North Catholic High School, Spring 2018
I became a MIKE mentor because I know the impact my mentors had on me when I was young and I want to replicate that for the youth in MIKE Program. As a person of color, my role as a MIKE mentor provided my mentees with an example of what they could accomplish; one that they could envision themselves. Together, we learned approaches to improve long-term health. I now pay attention more to snack portion sizes and choices.
Mani graduated from the University of Oregon with a dual degree in human physiology and Chinese; and will continue his education in medical school.
Kim Nguyen
Assignment: De La Salle North Catholic High School, Fall 2017 and Spring 2018
I became a MIKE mentor to help youth who are minorities and/or part of the underserved communities. Often times it is difficult for students of color to see themselves as health leaders if they don’t ever see any representation. When I was young, I didn’t have a mentor to guide me, so I want to be that person that I needed. As a mentor, I am not the only one making an impact, for the youth have impacted me equally.
Kim graduated from Portland State University with a degree in biology; and will continue her education in medical school.
Andrea Robertson
Assignment: De La Salle North Catholic High School, Fall 2017, Spring 2018
I grew up in a family and community which didn’t value or understand the importance of health, so I want to become a MIKE mentor to help youth become more aware and make better choices in their health. Mentoring students from diverse backgrounds has been very rewarding. It’s helped me develop better interpersonal communication skills. Since mentoring with MIKE, I have become more mindful of the foods I eat and the health benefits of a greater variety of foods.
Andrea is a patient placement coordinator at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center and a pre- nursing student at Portland State University.
Jasmine Nijjar
Assignment: De La Salle North Catholic High School, Fall 2017
I became a MIKE mentor to be there for the youth and help them learn about making healthy choices. The most valuable experience I gained was having the trust between my mentees and me. This trust allowed them to share feelings and ideas. Volunteering with MIKE has made my career goals even stronger and has encouraged me to try harder to reach them. Being in MIKE has made me reevaluate my health behavior to make sure I’m on the right path.
Jasmine graduated from New Mexico State University with a degree in biology, attended Portland State University for two years; and will continue her education in pharmacology school.
Sophie Balthazaar
Assignment: De La Salle North Catholic High School, Spring 2018
I wanted to become a MIKE mentor to impact the lives of youth so they can better see what opportunities there are for them. I learned that you have to be patient when it comes to working with teens. After working with MIKE, I would say I have started looking at food labels more and have become more cautious in what I’m eating.
Sophie is attending Portland State University to pursue a degree in health science.