This Internship is Like No Other!
A mentor has many definitions and is subjective to each relationship that is formed. To me, as someone who has been both a mentor and a mentee, a mentorship relationship is built upon a foundation of respect, admiration, and care. During my time with the National Migrant Seasonal Head Start Association (NMSHSA), I have been fortunate to feel like I have found an entire office of mentors and individuals who I admire!
As I get the opportunity to work both in a group and one-on-one with the NMSHSA staff, I have been able to grow my professional and mentorship relationships. I am continuously in admiration of our president, Cleo, for the tireless care he pours into all of our projects and all of the people who he touches - which is a lot! This is a type of leadership that I had only ever read about in theory or imagined as something I would like to emulate. It is impressive and inspiring to see someone lead with their heart and who is guided by a vision for a better future for our community. The passion and care that Cleo demonstrates on a day-to-day basis for the farmworker community is incredibly inspiring and is something that I feel fortunate to be able to witness up close as a NMSHSA intern. It is not often that you meet people who are as willingly supportive and caring Cleo, and who will push you to be an even better version of yourself.
When I first talked to Cleo, long before we met in person, he said, “This internship is like no other. Here you are entering a family - a family that has a shared experience of being children of farmworkers and knowing what that entails. It’s a family of people who ‘get it.” I didn’t know at the time how true that statement was. Cleo leads and mentors because “he gets it.” He understands the difficulties, adversities, and obstacles that children of farmworkers have to overcome because he also lived something very similar. He also exemplifies the indescribable resilience that we all share and demonstrates that with hard work and genuine passion - the sky's the limit. I feel incredibly grateful to have found my new NMSHSA family and for Cleo’s care and support at the core of it all.