Minority Male Initiative Outreach Program mentors HCC Students

May 5, 2015

Rodney McLaurin, Program Director of Outreach and Recruitment has taken on the commitment to mentor five HCC male students, who in return serve as mentors in HISD high schools.

Mentees Derek Smith, Jesse Trevino, Christopher Williams, Ruben Rios and Deonne Jordan all completed HISD’s Advancement Via Individual Determination training (AVID), which provides in-school academic support to students in grades 5–12 who have average test scores but high academic potential to prepare them for college eligibility and success. The focus is on minority, low-income and other students whose families do not traditionally attend college.

The five young men and Mr. McLaurin meet most Fridays to participate in a brown bag discussion on various topics. Recently, the discussion has been centered on the book “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch that the mentors and Mr. McLaurin have been reading. 

As mentors in HISD, each student expressed how rewarding it was to communicate and give back to others. Christopher Williams states, “It was everything that I had hoped it to be. I got to show students, especially males, that they can do what they truly deserve to do. I was a walking testimony to that.” The mentors also felt that the Friday meetings amongst their peers allowed them a platform to have meaningful discussions on academics, careers and life in general. Ruben Rios remarked, “I enjoyed meeting every other Friday with the team and sharing stories with one another. It has helped me personally stay motivated and focused on what was expected of us.”