MENTORSHIP PAVES THE WAY TO A BRIGHTER CAREER PATH

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Eileen Levinson. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

Eileen Levinson has a background as a nursing manager, but these days she’s focused on helping the healthcare heroes of the future.

As a mentor with iCouldBe, a program that provides high school students with an online community of mentors, Eileen uses her background in the healthcare industry to inspire high school juniors who are interested in the field to achieve their goals. During the year-long program, Eileen meets with her mentees online and provides them with assignments that will help them thrive professionally. While Eileen never even meets her mentees or learns their real names, the bond between them is strong. Each week, Eileen guides each student as they take on tasks that will help them grow. Whether it’s working on their resume, joining a club at school or practicing their networking skills, Eileen provides each mentee with the guidance they need to have a brighter future.

With 13 years as an iCouldBe mentor under her belt, Eileen has helped countless young people navigate the challenging path to high school graduation and a brighter future. But in addition to steering them toward professional success, Eileen’s greatest responsibility is instilling a sense of confidence within each of her students. By preparing them for the obstacles they’ll face in the future, Eileen is building the next generation of healthcare workers. As for her favorite part of the role, Eileen says it’s the students’ thank yous that “warm her heart.” Her dedication to mentorship shows the transformative power of reaching out and helping someone else.

What inspires you to volunteer?

In a different volunteer role, the group’s outgoing president said “You’re giving, but you get more than you give.” That’s not the reason to do it, but it’s sort of a side benefit. It makes me feel so good to have some sort of impact. Also, we need young people to go into nursing. I like to share my excitement about it. You work very hard, but you leave each day knowing that you made a difference in people’s lives. Yes, you’re going to work very hard, but you’ll come home and know that you really made a difference.

Tell us about your volunteer role with iCouldBe.

Each year I get four to five students, all of whom are in 11th grade. They have been selected by their schools because they show potential and have the ability to go on to college, but need some help and some direction. They have assignments each week all about career development, career networking and other things like that that help them build social capital. Because I have a nursing background, the students who are interested in healthcare will choose someone like me to help them develop skills and confidence. I help guide them toward a career path and help them learn how to make connections and look for other people who can help them.

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?

In 2012 I went part-time as a nurse manager because my mom was getting older and needed me around more. I think I chose iCouldBe because I strongly believe that wasted potential is preventable. But especially human potential! To have so many kids who are smart and maybe just don’t have what they need to go through the college application process, and then for them to go to college and have a career just makes me very happy.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?

Watching them grow. Sometimes they start and they don’t see very much. But then they deepen their thought and widen their lens to see the world and the possibilities a little more broadly. So just to see when they tell me what colleges they’re applying to and see them go through that whole process. They still have one more year of high school, but they know what they have to do. They know how to write their essays. They know how to network. They’ve thought and narrowed down the field they want to study, and they figured out which schools will specialize in it, and figure out which ones are right for them. They’re ready to go for 12th grade.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

You can be really wise at 17, and you can think really deeply at 17. They’re open to learning and developing themselves. Many of them come from families where no one’s gone to college, so they want to be the first. They say how proud their family is of them. It’s heartwarming.

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?

The world needs a lot of help. The world is a wonderful place, but there’s a lot of good people can do. There are people who need help. Some people aren’t as fortunate as other people have been, and you can help. You can share something that you developed your whole life, like your little treasure chest. You can take that wisdom that you’ve gleaned through the years of raising a family, doing your job, or just going through life, and you can share that wisdom.

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?

Volunteer doing something that you know that you’re comfortable with. Especially at my age, a lot of my peers are retiring. This is such a good thing to do because you have expertise and you do it on your own time. At iCouldBe, you can do it at one in the morning if you want. It doesn’t matter, because it’s all online. Anybody could do this. You want to take your knowledge, experience and wisdom and share it.

What do you want people to learn from your story?

It feels good to be involved. You receive the gratification of watching something happen. My students grow and get ready for college. Whatever it is– maybe you receive the gratification of watching hungry people have a meal. When you’re tutoring, you’re watching people learn and be able to move ahead in school. It’s a connection. You’re partaking in the world.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Eileen? Find local volunteer opportunities.