Meet Ali El-Araby, our College Steps May/June Mentor of the Month. Originally from Buffalo, New York, Ali recently graduated from Northern Virginia Community College and will continue his education at the University of Virginia this fall where he will study kinesiology.
College Steps Program Coordinator, Taylor Bryant, was eager to nominate Ali for this recognition, noting his professionalism. “Ali always pays great attention to detail. All of his mentor journals are turned in on time and are very well written, and he is one of the first mentors to step up if I need help covering a shift,” says Taylor.
She also noted Ali put in extra time at the end of the semester with a mentee who needed support preparing her psychology paper and studying for her final.
When asked what he most enjoyed about being a mentor, Ali says it was seeing his fellow students grow and develop both socially and academically.
"What stood out to me working with the students is the amazing transformation in character and performance that they showed as the year progressed,” he explained. “Some students were extremely shy, reserved, and seemingly overwhelmed at the start of the academic year. Others had it in them to perform well academically, but they never had the right tools to achieve that. It was heartwarming to see them get the results they put the effort for, and it's a real pleasure that they are now our friends for life. Being part of College Steps was an experience unparalleled by any other."
Thank you, Ali for going above and beyond to help your fellow students and mentors. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
