LEAP mentors work with area teens

Working through the Life Skills/Education Awareness Program (LEAP), which was established at the LBJ School in 1994, more than 30 public affairs students are currently serving as tutors and mentors at Johnston High School.

LEAP's volunteer effort pairs first-year LBJ School students with juniors and second-year students with seniors. This arrangement allows the mentor to work with a high school student for two years and insures that the program will continue from one year to the next.

According to LEAP Co-Chair Juliane Baron, the program draws on the strengths of both mentor and pupil and is designed to "present opportunities, overcome obstacles, and be understanding of different approaches and possibilities."

"A lot of people assume that LEAP focuses on getting people into college, but we try to help students set realistic goals," Baron said, adding that self-determination is an important aspect of the program.

Kristen Vassallo, who will take over as LEAP chair next year, noted that the program does not set an agenda. Instead, mentors are given the freedom to respond to pupils' strengths and weaknesses and then are allowed to decide whether every visit will be different or if each of the sessions will be directed toward achieving one major goal.

So far, there are indications that the initiative is having a positive effect on both the mentors and their pupils. For instance, Baron said, some of the Johnston High School teachers have stopped the mentors in the halls to share stories of improved performance or behavior by some of the students participating in the LEAP mentoring program.

Baron also related the story of one mentor who had helped a student prepare for a retake of the Scholastic Aptitude Test. "The mentor was ecstatic when he learned that the student's score had improved by 300 points," she said.

During LEAP meetings, members share experiences and resources and plan special activities that can help the high school students meet their individual goals. This spring, LEAP organized a number of field trips and other activities to encourage the teenagers to think about their career paths. These included a trip to Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, where the group toured the campus and met with an admissions counselor.

Mentors and high school students also participated in an international youth service conference sponsored by Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio during February. The two-day conference, which brought together 1,000 young people from the United States and Mexico, allowed the students to participate in community service activities as well as discussions and presentations.

On March 22 LEAP organized a career day that allowed some of the Johnston High School students to visit Brackenridge Hospital and Motorola.

Other major activities held this semester included an event that has been sponsored by both LEAP and the LBJ School Public Affairs Minority Liaison Committee (PAMLICO) for the past three years. The program brings minority community leaders to Johnston High School so that they can share their ideas and experiences with high school youth. This year's event, held on April 12, was coordinated by Erik Paulino, a member of both LEAP and PAMLICO.

At the end of the school year, LEAP also sponsors an essay contest for the seniors who participated in the program. The writing exercise involves writing a paper on the theme, "What I Would Do If I Were President." According to Baron, the theme was chosen because it is a tie-in to the LBJ School's program and it encourages the teenagers to think about policymaking and public affairs. A cash award is presented at a final party.