The Power of Mentoring — Sneaking into the Cafeteria

By Shane Robitaille

As a teenager who became homeless, legally emancipated at 15-years-old, attended four high schools, stayed back a year, and didn’t trust most people over 18 years old, I benefited immensely from mentoring, whether I knew it at the time or not.

As I was making my way into the world, there were lots of caring and selfless adults who bothered to help out a kid in a challenging situation, with a big chip on his shoulder. Some of them were the cafeteria workers at my fourth high school. One day, one of them snuck me into the back door of the cafeteria before school started. They gave me free breakfast, a cup of coffee, and a quiet place to do my homework before homeroom started. I did the same thing the next day, and for the next year or so. This was an awesome gift because I typically worked late at night and didn’t have time to do homework. Also, I made minimum wage and couldn’t afford a decent breakfast. Although I probably thanked them, I’m sure I didn’t thank them enough.

At the time, I probably would not have characterized this as mentoring. However, thinking back, these cafeteria superheroes helped a kid realize that sometimes it’s more than okay to accept help when it’s offered. They also taught me that it’s oftentimes the little things we say and do that can make a difference for somebody. I don’t remember why they bothered with that skinny punk, but I’m glad they did.

Mentoring can make a big difference no matter how old we are. And, as I learned so long ago, sometimes we can be mentored without even realizing it’s happening. Now that I think of it, that’s probably the best kind of mentoring. :)