Forming a trusting relationship with an adult is a great way for stud
ents to build a long lasting positive experience in school and set them up for success in life, and one CISNT volunteer, Susan Foster, has gone above and beyond to empower students to aspire to their fullest potential. Susan began volunteering 8 years ago at Seven Hills Elementary in Rhome after learning about CISNT at her church, LifePoint Fellowship. She has always liked helping people and had a strong belief in the importance of education, so when she heard about the opportunity to mentor, she decided to give it a try. She says at the time she thought “that sounds like something I could actually do!” To this day, she not only continues to feel inspired to volunteer, but is so dedicated, she was CISNT’s 2020 Volunteer of the Year due to her incredible relationship with her mentees, Emily and Chelsea, and all the students at Northwest High School where Emily is now a senior and Chelsea a sophomore.
Susan has developed heartwarming relationships with Emily and Chelsea since they began meeting at Seven Hills, Emily then a fifth grader and Chelsea a third grader. Over the years, Susan created a special bond with Emily and Chelsea through conversations, discussing the girls’ career interests, homework, grades, school and home life, and other topics, and watching comedy videos in their free time. These meetings helped Emily improve her self-esteem. Susan’s support allowed her to develop confidence in her own abilities and the understanding that she has valuable people to support her. Arlo Arellano, CISNT Site Coordinator at Northwest High School, said that Susan is like a grandmother for Emily, where she knows every aspect or situation in Emily’s life, and provides the best advice. “Mrs. Susan is always excited to see Emily when she comes to campus. While interacting with Emily, she is honest, straightforward, loving, and an amazing listener.”
When Susan won our Volunteer of the Year award in 2020, her Site Coordinator at that time, the late Ryan Hooper, similarly had nothing but praise for her. When speaking on her relationship with Chelsea, Ryan said, “This year I have seen Susan be a positive role model and help keep the student she works with engaged in the classroom and has stressed making smart decisions outside of the classroom. The student has … maintained passing grades in every class.” He went on to explain how Susan doesn’t just show up for her students, but for everyone at his campus. “She initiated contact with me during my first weeks being a Site Coordinator to ask in what ways could she help me get comfortable in my new role. … There have been times where the weather has been rainy or cold and she has not blinked an eye about coming up to mentor. She has to use a walker to get around so when it’s rainy it is not ideal for her to be out and about but nonetheless, I can count on her to be here every Thursday at 10:45, to first check on me and see how the job is going. Then spend the entire period before lunch working with her student. The first time this happened I was confused about her showing up early and thought I had made a scheduling error. I was quickly told by Susan that it was intentional for her to show up early so she could get to know me and why I chose to work for CIS.”
When speaking about her own volunteer experience, Susan is incredibly humble, saying “I don’t think that I’ve impacted their lives very much, but they’ve impacted mine! … The whole program has impacted my life. It has made me a kinder person. It’s given me a modicum of patience anyway.” It’s clear too, that she cares deeply for Emily and Chelsea. She says simply, “I love them. I really do.”, and she tells them she loves them at the end of every meeting so that “no matter what happens they know that.”
We cannot thank Susan enough for her years of service or for her devotion to Emily and Chelsea. If you would like to learn even more about Susan’s journey, check out our YouTube video announcing her 2020 award. To learn more about being a mentor or any of our other volunteer opportunities, please check out our website at cisnt.org/volunteer.
