Scholarships worth a total of $4,000 were awarded to four students in Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) Community-Based Mentoring Program. Joshua Boose of Central Gwinnett High School, Malik Neal of Peachtree Ridge High School, Desmond Sylvester of Lanier High School, and Gregory Thomas of Norcross High School each were awarded a $1,000 scholarship at the programÂ’s end-of-year celebration dinner. All four graduating seniors started the program in middle school.
“I am so happy and honored to have been selected to receive the scholarship,” said Boose. “It will really help me as I head to college.”
“The scholarship is great but the relationship I built over the years with my mentor and the guidance he provided me has made a big difference in my life,” said Neal.
More than 300 people attended the GCPS Community-Based Mentoring Program End-of-Year Celebration Dinner, which included remarks from GCPS Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks. The event served as a celebration of another successful year for the mentoring program and a night to honor the mentees and mentors who volunteer their time to help build and guide young men.
As Devon Jackson, an 8th grader at Snellville Middle School and mentee shares,“A mentor is not just someone who helps you, but someone that you can trust. I am glad that I trust my mentor.” Bill Merritt, a mentor for seven years said the experience has been life changing. He explains, “I didn’t find mentoring. Mentoring found me. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to be with my mentee since he was in the seventh grade and will now be graduating from Discovery High School.”
For more information about the Community-Based Mentoring Program, call (770) 682-8086.
