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Mentorship

Mentor the Next Generation

At Heart of Los Angeles, mentorship is about more than academic success; it's about fostering personal growth, self-confidence, and resilience.

Our mentorship program aims to bridge the gap between ambition and achievement, providing invaluable guidance, support, and encouragement to our youth along the path to adulthood. Our mentors help our teens and young adults navigate the complexities of college admissions and their transition into successful career paths.

Through meaningful relationships built on trust and shared goals, mentors empower young adults to overcome obstacles and pursue their dreams with confidence.

As a mentor, you will have the opportunity to guide students through the college and scholarship application processes, sharing your personal experiences and insights into pursuing careers and postsecondary education.

Our Mentorship Programs

College Application Mentor (Fall)

Program Dates: September – December

As a College Application Mentor, you’ll collaborate with Heart of LA staff to help students explore higher education opportunities by:

  • Developing college lists
  • Brainstorming, revising, and refining personal statements and essays
  • Completing college and financial aid applications (FAFSA/Dream Act)

You’ll also build lasting relationships, supporting your mentee through college and beyond.

Scholarship Mentor (Spring)

Program Dates: February – May

You will play a vital role in our Alumni 101: college success curriculum, supporting students as they apply for college scholarships. As a Scholarship Mentor, you will work in small groups with students to identify and research scholarships that match their profile and help them craft their scholarship essays. 

As part of the program, students are required to attend scholarship research sessions and apply to three outside scholarships in order to qualify to apply for Heart of LA’s in-house scholarship program, offered to outbound high school seniors as well as higher education-enrolled alumni. Heart of LA’s seniors and alumni are encouraged to apply. Applications are evaluated by voluntary committees composed of Heart of LA staff, alumni, donors, and volunteers. You will also have the opportunity to work with your mentees about their college decisions and support them throughout their decision making process.

Heart of a Mentor
Network

Connect Cycle: March – July

Match Cycle: August – December

Match Cycle

As part of our College and Career Success program, our mentors support Heart of LA alumni in postsecondary education by helping them build career skills like resume writing, networking, and applying for internships.

Connect Cycle

The Heart of a Mentor Network’s Connect Cycle offers college-aged students with an opportunity to explore and connect with professionals like yourself. Over the 12 week session, mentors can connect b-weekly or more via our platform, phone calls, emails, texts, and video chats with students to support them throughout their college careers.

How to Become a Mentor

College Application Mentors

Session Timeline: 10 weeks, September – December

Requirements:

  • Mentor Age Requirements: All mentors must be either: at least 2 years out of college or have been in their profession for at least 3 years.
  • Complete Interest Form: Complete our interest form during the month of August (Visit this page in August to access the live interest form).
  • In-Person Mentee Sessions: Mentors must be able to meet with mentees in-person at the Heart of Los Angeles Arts and Recreation Center (615 La Fayette Park Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90057) on Wednesdays from 6 pm – 7 pm.
Scholarship Application Mentors

Session Timeline: 10 weeks, February – May

Requirements:

  • Mentor Age Requirements: All mentors must be either: at least 2 years out of college or have been in their profession for at least 3 years.
  • Complete Interest Form: Complete our interest form during the month of January (Visit this page in January to access the live interest form)
  • In-Person Mentee Sessions: Mentors must be able to meet with mentees in-person at the Heart of Los Angeles Arts and Recreation Center (615 La Fayette Park Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90057) on Wednesdays from 6 pm – 7 pm.
Heart of a Mentor

Complete Interest Form: Complete our interest form. Applications are accepted year-round.

The look a person gets when they do achieve it or even how you pivot if it doesn't quite work out the way you want, well that's just a particular soft spot that I have, watching the next generation be able to attain all that.
Heart of LA Mentor
My goal as a mentor is to provide guidance to others that have similar backgrounds to me. It can be more of a challenge, having parents who immigrated here, there is a weight on you to be successful and having someone to lean on for guidance is invaluable. The mentorship program and having a mentor to lean on and guide you is super valuable.
Heart of LA Mentor
I've had other mentors growing up, transitioning into college, into the workforce, and I know how important it is to have somebody to look up to, somebody you can rely on, and know that you can always come to with questions or concerns and that they're there to help you. I love being that for somebody else, especially at such a vital time of their adolescence. It’s really inspiring!
Heart of LA Mentor
My path wasn’t linear and there were many disappointments along the way. But overall I achieved what it was that I set out to do after graduating high school, and that is to be a professional creative, fully independent - supporting myself and now others around me. I'd like to show them that outlook and perspective can change everything, focus now to reap the benefits later!
Heart of LA Mentor
Being a mentor is not just supporting them to populate this and that with information but it's also about letting them know that they have someone that's behind them, that someone that is there supporting them, and that, like, they're not alone in that journey.
Heart of LA Mentor
As a mentor, I want [my mentees] to know that whatever they want to pursue is possible, there's a framework for it that we can help provide. That's what I'm trying to do. Just let them know that, truly. The possibilities are endless for them, regardless of their situation.
Heart of LA Mentor
My goal is to be a resource that's valuable to the students in the way that they need. It becomes so complex, this application process and the amount of opportunities. There's just so much that in a way that you can't just say, go off and do it by yourself.
Heart of LA Mentor
It's really all hands on deck. And if I have a set of hands that are going to help float the boat, I’ll do what I can, why not?
Heart of LA Mentor