As a college student, I worked as a mentor, and that got me involved in working with young people long before I became a foster parent.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
In my teens, I worked as an aide in my community supervising and mentoring youth in various programs and delivering lunches to needy students.
I've definitely had mentors, whether parents or friends or actors who I like.
I had some really incredible people who mentored me and gave me things I never got from my parents.
I was very fortunate to have some great mentors. A father that was always in my life set the example every day at home. Everybody asks me, 'What was your role model?' My role model slept 20 feet from me every night. I could always go talk to him and ask him questions no matter what it was about.
I have spent a lot of time with foster children over the years - kids for whom I have not necessarily acted as a foster parent.
I've had many mentors, but the one that has the most impact was my mother.
As a parent, I have a job as a role model to my children, and by extension, to other young people.
I spent my entire childhood with my father. I started my first business at 16, and we became business partners. He's not just a mentor and somebody that I look up to, but he's also someone whom I took work ethic and determination and all of those qualities from.
I remember the mentoring experiences of some teachers that I had, like a second term home room teacher in public school that really was very helpful to me.
Mine were informal mentors. They were all in my working life.