By Natalie French | Reporter
Through Baylor Buddies, Baylor Bears serve as mentors to students in schools in the Waco Independent School District. They are partnered with Communities In Schools, which assists mentors with their mentee’s specific needs.
Chicago junior Rajiv Edara has served as Baylor Buddies’ president for two years and joined because he said he wanted to go beyond the “Baylor bubble.” Edara has been mentoring the same student for two years.
“I wanted to feel like there was a long-term impact on someone’s life,” Edara said.
Mentors volunteer one hour a week to their mentees. Edara said the mentees don’t get mentors because they have learning disabilities, but rather because “they don’t have one constant person in their life.”
“Thinking back to when I was younger, I can’t imagine what it would have been like to not have such great family support and social connections,” Edara said. “As a mentor, [they] are that one friend that shows up every week.”
Knowledge of what these mentees are learning in school is not required. All mentors need to commit is their time. Often, it’s as simple as the mentor and mentee playing board games and getting to know each other.
El Paso junior Aria Daniels also volunteers her time as a mentor and said she was “drawn to the opportunity to make a positive impact in the lives of at-risk students.”
“Mentorship has always been important to me, and Baylor Buddies felt like the perfect way to give back to the Waco community,” Daniels said.
Edara and Daniels both said the mentor-mentee impact is a two-way street.
Edara is a medical humanities major on the pre-medical track. When he began mentoring his mentee, his mentee said he wanted to drive a luxury car around Waco when he grows up.
“Before we left for the summer last year, he was talking about his career and potentially going into medicine,” Edara said. “I know it probably wasn’t just because of me, but even if it was one percent me, I feel super blessed because I’m making an impact.”
Daniels noticed her mentee grew in confidence and academic engagement.
“While we’re there to guide and support our mentees, they also teach us valuable lessons about resilience, optimism and creativity,” Daniels said. “I’ve been deeply inspired by my mentee’s perseverance, and it’s reminded me of the importance of being present and supportive in all my relationships.”
Edara said it can be difficult as a college student to find time to give back in the midst of all that goes on.
“I’m struggling with getting through my classes, so sometimes, I wonder if I’m actually contributing to my community,” Edara said. “After I mentor, I’m like ‘Yes, I am.’ I have meaning, and I have purpose.”
Edara and Daniels both said they hope for the mentoring program to expand, reaching more at-risk students and providing them with consistent guidance.
Baylor Buddies takes rolling applications, which can be found on their Instagram or their Connect homepage.
