Karla Dorweiler | Special to The Michigan Catholic
Dream Mentor Program ‘much more than college planning’ as grads consider future
Greg Campbell, director of the Cabrini Dream Mentor Program, stands with Fr. Joe Mallia, whose idea for student mentoring has grown into a successful program for Cabrini High School in Allen Park.Photo by Julie Lollo
Allen Park — Brady Carter says he might like to be a script writer one day, or a reporter. He’s considering UCLA for college, along with Arizona State.
Given his plans, some might be surprised that Brady is only 13 years old, yet he isn’t the only eighth-grade student at Cabrini Middle School with his eye on the future. Thanks to the Cabrini Dream Mentor Program at Cabrini High School in Allen Park, every eighth-grade through senior student is imagining the possibilities.
“Everybody has dreams of what they want to do, so we ask them, ‘What do you dream about?’” said Greg Campbell, director of the innovative program. “It’s much more than college planning. It’s someone listening to them, finding out what they’re excited about, where their talents are.”
The individual mentoring process begins with two mandatory meetings in eighth grade. Students are guided by Campbell, along with Dream Mentor Program specialists Katy Wisser and Danielle Shea. Meetings continue through high school; many of the sessions include parents. Students are given a timeline and access to the program’s comprehensive website, which includes steps and information for college applications, scholarships and even internship opportunities.
“We start in eighth grade because we want to talk to them before they start accumulating a GPA in ninth grade,” Campbell said. “If a student wants to get into a demanding college, they can’t wait until 10th or 11th grade to think about their grades.”
The Cabrini Dream Mentor Program is the brainchild of Fr. Joseph Mallia, pastor of St. Frances Cabrini Parish.
“We’re really pleased with how this is working out for our kids,” Fr. Mallia said. “It’s even more than I imagined when I first had the idea and spoke to Greg about it. It’s about the students. If the students and parents don’t know the ins and outs of college application and affordability, they can’t achieve the same level of success as they would otherwise. This program gives them that and helps them find options they haven’t even thought about.”
Cabrini graduate Danielle Lollo will graduate from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids this May and was among the first students to benefit from the program. Campbell helped her hone in on an interest in teaching, and arranged for her to gain hands-on
experience in a kindergarten classroom during study halls her senior year.
“Instead of just asking me what college I wanted to go to, I was asked, ‘What are your interests?’” said Lollo, who graduated from
Aquinas College senior Danielle Lollo meets with Greg Campbell to discuss her future plans. Lollo is a graduate of Cabrini High School and still received guidance from Campbell and the Cabrini Dream Mentor Program.Photo by Julie Lollo
Cabrini in 2012. “From there, (the program) really helped me think about things I wouldn’t have considered, like teacher certification test results for each school I was looking at.”
Danielle’s mother, Julie Lollo, said the program not only helped Danielle identify career goals, but also provided a road map for reaching those goals.
“The process can be overwhelming, and this took out the guesswork,” Julie Lollo said. “There’s so much to know, but we always had the information right at our fingertips or (Campbell) would find the answer for us. The advice we’ve received gave all of us confidence every step of the way.”
Madison Carter, a senior at Cabrini and older sister of eighth-grader Brady, is aiming for a career in journalism and, as of publication, has been accepted to Ohio State, Michigan State and Arizona State.
“I probably would’ve looked at only smaller schools, but I was encouraged to do campus visits to different types of schools. That helped me realize I really wanted a bigger college,” Madison Carter said. “The program really opens your eyes to every opportunity and helps you decide the best choice for you as an individual.”
Since the program was implemented in 2008, Cabrini High School has had a significant increase in the number of students attending a four-year college or university, Campbell said. He credits much of the program’s success to the support of Fr. Mallia and James Wasukani, president and Cabrini High School principal, as well as website and database administrator Julio Reyes.
“God has given each child a gift. Our job is not to change that gift but to foster it,” Fr. Mallia said. “Wherever God wants them — that’s where we want to lead them.”
