Today's "Share the Love" Feature: Jazmin Jordan, Former Mentee

Below are some snippets from Jazmin's senior essay sharing what the Marietta Mentoring for Leadership Program has meant to her:

The experience that most defines me happened just a few years ago in the north Georgia woods. 

It began when Mrs. Kellogg, my Mentoring Director, waved me down in a crowded, noisy hallway at school. “Jazmin I think it’d be great if you go on this retreat I’m having for all the girls in my mentoring program.” She told me how fun it would be staying in a cabin, deep in the woods, with no phone service. There is no way I’m going on this trip, I thought. However, my mom thought it was a great opportunity for me to step out of my comfort zone, and insisted that I go. A few weeks later, I stood at the door of a large, old and unstable cabin carrying my sleeping bag, a suitcase, and a bad attitude. It did not look how Mrs. Kellogg described and there were bugs flying everywhere. I looked down and there were no bars on my cell phone. That made me even more uneasy because I didn’t know anyone.

I will never forget that old cabin and that summer in the woods. For the first time I felt free of my fears and ready to push towards what I want. I feel bolder and more confident about my career choice to become an attorney, and without that experience, I would not be as assertive, outgoing, and independent as I am today. The retreat taught me how to bond with others outside my close family. I have gained a new identity, no longer the little sister hiding behind the shadow of her 6’10” father, powerful mother, or big brother. I am now assertive, outgoing, and independent.