"I love finding answers and working closely with the families, helping each of my students to do the best that they can each week."
Written by Avanti Gajoo, a Student Success Mentor at Valenture Institute
My name is Avanti and I have been working with the students and parents at Valenture for just over a year now - since the first homerooms started!
A few years ago I made a decision to move into the field of education, but I knew that I still wanted to exercise my knowledge and skill from my studies and work in psychology and counselling. I knew I needed a new opportunity and a unique space where I could support others and challenge myself.
I joined Valenture Institute, keen to work with a passionate team, and curious to learn how I could support high school age students online. I had experience supporting adults in their online education, but I knew that working with high school students would be a completely unique experience.
(Picture: A poster Avanti's Acacia class made for her as a thank you for all her support and guidance.)
So what does the life of a student mentor look like?
I wake up at 5:30 in the morning - I admit to pressing the snooze button once or twice due to my love for sleep!
6:30 am | I exercise 3 days a week, a new addition to my routine which I started with this year (2021). It has proven to be so helpful with my ability to focus throughout the day. It also makes me starving, so I immediately have to eat breakfast before I get ready for the day!
8:00 - 8:30 | I start my work by checking my calendar - I want to be sure not to miss any important meetings with my students, parents or colleagues in the day.
I check my inboxes - my student-facing email as well as my employee inbox, this way I start with the most urgent emails to students, and I am equipped with the latest information to respond to them as accurately as possible.
9:00 | I meet with the Student Success team daily. In these meetings, we share our priorities for the day, we can help and support each other with those priorities where needed.
WATCH: How often students meet with their mentors
From here, my day can vary. I can do all of the following in varying order:
- Respond to student emails, attend calls with students and/or parents.
- Host homeroom sessions and/or learning compass sessions with my students.
- Meet with colleagues about new platforms or processes that we are building to help the students have the best experience possible.
- Meet with the faculty team to discuss any students who need additional support, and how we can best work together to support them.
- Train new members of the team or check-in to see if anyone needs any support. This can also include reaching out for support from my team when needed- this does happen!
WATCH: How day-to-day mentor support works at Valenture Institute
I try to take a break for lunch at midday - I generally decide to keep working, which is a habit I need to work on.
My day generally ends a 5 pm, and I always try to have a clean slate as much as possible for the new day. If I don’t, I write a checklist of the most urgent tasks to complete in the new day.
When working with students and parents directly, each day brings a new and unexpected question to answer. I love finding the answers and working closely with the families, helping each of my students to do the best that they can each week.
