Bank of America, BBBS shine light on importance of mentorship

TROY/MADISON HEIGHTS — Being a mentee can be a life-changing experience. Being a mentor can be a rewarding and fulfilling engagement. When young people become mentees, they can be better prepared to navigate the challenges in life they’ll encounter, while at the same time providing their mentor a real-time look into the numerous opportunities and challenges a young person faces.

Knowing the power of engagement, Bank of America partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit (BBBS) to mentor and connect with a group of ninth-grade students from Madison High School in Madison Heights.

Since the fall of 2018, 19 ninth-graders from the school have been meeting with professionals from BofA twice each month. The Bank’s leaders are providing mentorship while offering students financial and career advice, enabling the mentor/mentee teams to strengthen their bonds.

Instant connection

One mentor and mentee (aka “big” and “little”) pairing that bonded right from the start is Star Crawford, Community Relations Manager for Bank of America’s Detroit market, and Madison High School freshman Lanaya Haney.

Haney said having another trusted adult in her life is helpful. “This gives me someone else to talk to and it makes me feel a little less alone in this world,” she said.

Crawford attributes the connection to their similar personalities.

“BBBS takes care in the thoughtful pairing of their Bigs with their Littles,” Crawford said. “When I met Lanaya, my goal was to offer a place to express herself. I was able to see where she struggled and needed help as well as how she thrives. Knowing some of these things about my Little helps me guide our interactions.”

Better Money Habits

Tiffany Douglas, Market Executive for Bank of America in Michigan, said that a partnership with BBBS supports the economic mobility focus of the bank’s philanthropy.

“Bank of America is proud to continue our legacy of connecting to the communities we call home. We believe this work benefits both our own teammates and the lives we get to engage with,” Douglas said. “While the Bank’s professionals help guide our mentees through honing soft skills and life lessons, resume writing, job interview preparation and getting them to think about beginning their financial life, we get the great opportunity to meet our country’s future leaders. The intentions of our work with BBBS are aimed at giving young people a leg up as they finish high school and approach adulthood while connecting us to impressive young people in this community.”

Students are learning Better Money Habits®, a Bank of America, free financial education curriculum which focuses on topics including budgeting, saving, smart credit and saving for college. Students also learn about the kind of careers offered at a bank.

Seeing double

Madison High School students Cameron and Peyton Piccinini, who are twins, were paired with Bryan and Stuart Higgins, a father-son team who work as financial advisors at Merrill.

“I come from a similar background as these guys,” said mentor Bryan Higgins. “I understand the leap needed to make to get from a working class to being a professional. I hope I can bring to these young men a greater understanding of what opportunities lay ahead.”

The Piccinini boys, nicknamed “Newton” and “Manning” by their mentors in a nod to NFL players Cam Newton and Peyton Manning, both play multiple sports at Madison High, and aspire to play football at the University of Michigan. Stuart Higgins said he pushes the teens to focus on academics, so getting into great schools can be a reality.

Peyton Piccinini said he hopes to gain experience learning how to talk to people and what to do in certain situations: “I hope to work harder in school and on the field, and be the best I can be.”

Every student has the ability to thrive

Nichole Joos, Manager of Program Delivery at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit, said students’ interactions with their mentors helps them gain confidence.

“We believe any student can benefit from a mentor,” Joos said. “Increased confidence comes with one-on-one interaction with an adult. They talk about their goals and the process they need to go through to be successful. It’s one more adult in their life to help hold them accountable.”

Stacey Cauley is an Academic Advisor at Madison High, and is the school’s liaison for the BofA and BBBS mentorship program. Cauley follows up with students gaining feedback to see how things are going and to gain insight into what the students are looking to gain from the program.

“The students were invited to tour the Bank of America offices in Troy, and needed to dress up. They were excited and wanted to make a great impression,” Cauley said. “You can tell by their personal investment in this that they have really grown over just a few months.”

“Without great partners, this wouldn’t be possible,” added Joos. “We’re grateful for the time and support Bank of America has devoted to the success of our young people.