Michel Shane

My youngest child Emily was tragically murdered on April 3, 2010. She was in middle school (eighth grade) and was one of those students who fell in a "grey" area and did not "fit the mold". She was bright, but struggled academically due to diagnosed processing issues. If a child is performing poorly, not "getting it" and risking failure, their potential to drop out down the road is great. This is the time when the draw of drugs, gangs, bullying (or being bullied), acting out, giving up, low self esteem, etc. are easy paths for a struggling student. This is magnified if the parents are not involved, possibly due to job pressures, single parent situations, inability to help due to a language barrier, etc. The SEA Program provides intensive, individualized mentoring (which includes everything from an emphasis on organizational skills, study skills, homework help, etc) to at risk middle school students who could not otherwise afford this support. The main and most important outcome is a complete reversal of negative attitude towards school to a one that is positive; and a turnaround of not caring or giving up to increased motivation. The success is tied into the student/mentor relationship, as most mentors are paired with the same student throughout the school year. We only hire current university students or recent graduates to work as mentors. This is due to the comfort level an approx. 11-13 year old feels with this age group, vs. an older adult. In addition, they make great role models, as they are in university and we aim to inspire our SEA students to have a goal of higher education. There is a cost to the child, they must "PASS IT FORWARD" for every mentoring session they receive they must do one good deed and post it at emilyshane.org to stay in the program. That is 65 good deeds in one school year...this changes a child's perception of himself and the world around them.