On Wednesday afternoons, fourth-year College student Gus Mokrzycki has somewhere to be — and someone waiting for him.
“It really is like two hours of being like a kid again,” Mokrzycki said.
As a mentor and vice president of programming with the University’s branch of College Mentors for Kids, Mokrzycki spends time each week with his Little Buddy, a local elementary school student paired with him through CMFK.
CMFK is a national organization with 29 chapters in eight states, and has been a Contracted Independent Organization at the University since 2015. On Grounds, this CIO brings together nearly 230 University students and 200 elementary schoolers from five Charlottesville-area schools.
By pairing college-aged students in mentorships, primarily with third-, fourth- and fifth-graders, CMFK creates lasting friendships that give both mentors and Little Buddies a chance to learn and grow from one another.
“It's just such a safe and welcoming space for these kids to just let loose, and build a good bond and relationship. It's so special, and it’s hard to even describe it until you're [experiencing] it with those kids for an entire year,” Mokrzycki said.
This indescribable bond is at the heart of CMFK and is fostered through the quality time mentors and Little Buddies share together. Once a week, these dynamic duos partake in a wide range of activities, from arts and crafts and outdoor games to dance parties and field trips.
Because the University’s chapter of CMFK is entirely student-run, mentors and executive board members also raise the funds needed to keep the program operating. Besides coordinating transportation and organizing programming, the mentors facilitate fundraising campaigns and donations from friends and family.
Fourth-year College student Lucy Miller joined CMFK during her second year and has had a new mentee each year, both of whom have been first graders. Miller said that while her Little Buddies learn from her, they are actually the greater teachers — at just seven years old, they have had plenty of wisdom to share with Miller.
“[My Little Buddies] teach me so much … every single time I see them,” Miller said. “I do learn a lot with them, and I like to think that I teach them things, too, but I definitely think I learn more from them than they do from me.”
This notion of reciprocity is one of CMFK’s core tenets. Ling Ling Xu, president of the University’s chapter of CMFK and fourth-year College student, emphasized this mission, noting how children can often provide perspectives that college students may have forgotten about or overlooked amidst the everyday stressors of University life.
“I think there's so much to learn from kids. They look at the world in such a unique and forgotten-about way,” Xu said. “We were all kids once, and we all probably looked at the world the same way, but then you kind of forget, because you have assignments due, and you're busy, and you're trying to make it in this world and get internships … but [kids] really ground you to appreciate the present.”
These relationships are cultivated in CMFK’s weekly sessions, which typically consist of activities and guest speakers. Sessions occur Monday through Thursday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Ern Commons, and students choose one day each week to attend with their Little Buddies.
Each weekly meeting follows a different theme, kicking off with a guest speaker — ranging from engineering organization representatives to the Virginia Dance Team — before mentors and their Little Buddies break off into activities. The themes span across various topics, including science, medical training and movement.
Miller said that these sessions give the Little Buddies more than just a space to explore new subjects — they also give them a space to try something new without feeling the pressure to immediately get it right.
“It's just so lovely seeing [the Little Buddies] interact with everyone because it's such a breath of fresh air … most of these kids aren’t worried about embarrassing themselves or anything. They're always so ready to put themselves out there, and I admire that,” Miller said.
While CMFK provides a much-needed moment of respite for elementary schoolers and University students alike, for some of the Little Buddies, the program is much more than just an after-school activity — it is a space to build confidence in unfamiliar places and situations.
“My first year, I had a Little Buddy who had just moved to Charlottesville from China. Despite not knowing a ton of English, she never let it get in the way of connecting with other buddies [and] mentors,” Xu said in a written statement to The Cavalier Daily. “When we toured [John Paul Jones Arena] and the training facilities, she didn't think twice about playing football with the other buddies and student athletes. I really admired her for her bravery.”
Echoing this sentiment, Danielle Love, vice president of programming for the Wednesday program with Tall Oaks Elementary School and second-year College student, said that the consistency of both the program and relationships Little Buddies build with their mentors provide Little Buddies with a space to share things that they might have otherwise kept to themselves.
“There are a lot of kids that come to us without the ability to articulate their emotions and what they're feeling,” Love said. “A lot of kids [may] have had a tough day at school or [are] having difficulties at home, and a lot of them feel very closed off or feel like they won't be understood if they tried to explain it.”
For Love, one of the most meaningful parts of CMFK is seeing the Little Buddies come out of their shells. She explained how over time, the mentors become trusted confidants for the Little Buddies — giving them someone they know will listen when they need it most.
“We have kids opening up to us constantly about just what's going on in their lives, but also just as simple as saying, ‘I'm actually sad today, I didn't want to tell anyone, but that's why I'm in the corner,’” Love said. “And I think that's really, really special that we, having known these kids for as little as we've known them, can be that safe place for them to come forward.”
For mentors like Xu, Love and Mokrzycki, seeing the impact the program has on Little Buddies inspires them to prioritize this two-hour slot in their schedules amidst all of their classes, career pursuits and extracurricular commitments. In time, these hours spent together become a formative relationship built on the simple knowledge that someone is there, someone is listening and that someone will be back at the same time next week.
“We're all busy, but we make the time for College Mentors, and it shows. We absolutely love it,” Mokrzycki said. “Hands down, it's all about passion.”
Claire McGinn is a staff writer on the life desk. She is a third-year College student majoring in history and minoring in Data Science. Claire is from Centreville, Va., and she enjoys writing about University events, programs and student organizations. Outside of The Cavalier Daily, Claire is involved in University Programs Council, Women in National Security, Kappa Delta sorority and Catholic Hoos.
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