VIDEO TRANSCRIPTION

Maddie Blish:
I’m confident that I’ve impacted her, but I’m also even more confident that she has impacted me. So, it’s a mutual level of confidence that we’ve both have grown together and become better people because of that.

Billy Ratthahao:
Being a mentor has had far more of a positive effect for me, than it has for him. Of that, I’m sure. If you’re feeling unqualified, don’t. Nobody’s perfect and no one’s going to have a strength in every single department. Shepherd will do a great job in matching you with the right student and having the right student for you as well. These are people that have been doing this for a long time.

Maddie Blish:
Well, when I first started this, I was entering in my sophomore year of high school. I was nervous. I was anxious. It scared me, but I was ready to do it and I knew I would grow because of it.

Billy Ratthahao:
Shepherd provides a lot of training, a lot of support. They do regular check-ins. If the activities run dry, they’ve always got suggestions. And so knowing that I have someone to call if I ever need a suggestion or if I’m going through a challenging situation, having people that have been accredited in this field is really nice knowing that I can fall back on that.

Maddie Blish:
If you’re fearful about this program, don’t be. But it’s okay to be because going outside your comfort zone is when you can truly grow as a person and you’re going to help them succeed in life and you’re going to grow as well.

Billy Ratthahao:
Simply by showing up, you are saying, “You matter to me.” That’s all it takes sometimes.

Maddie Blish:
They know that you’re there for them and it’s a sense of trust and community and just responsibility to each other that you’re in this together. That’s what’s happens here at Shepherd and that’s what Candice and I have here.

Billy Ratthahao:
Once that trust is established, the floodgates, kind of, open. I remember the first time my mentee actually had a full-blown conversation with me. I couldn’t get him to stop talking and it was over a meal. It’s the simplest things that can open up the biggest doors when you’re doing this.

Speaker 2:
So, I love how much relationships can change the picture in someone’s life.

Billy Ratthahao:
The goal of every relationship among humans is to ultimately connect and you can do it. My whole goal here is to just love on somebody and to watch him grow.