Kelly and Lexi

April 2017 TeamMates of the Month: Learning to Trust Intuition

“I think we’re best friends,” says East High senior Lexi about her mentor Kelly Lauer.

“When I met her it was ‘a match’. We’ve had a lot of time and experiences together,” adds Kelly.

The two started meeting when Lexi was in 5th grade, during a difficult time in her life. “We met right after my parents got divorced. Even though I didn’t talk about it, it was nice having a role model I could look up to,” remembers Lexi.

During high school, Lexi began opening up more to Kelly. “I went through some hard times with my parents and I wanted an adult’s perspective on things. Instead of telling me what I should do, she gave me options. After that it became easier and easier to talk to her.”

One of their favorite things to do together is to walk around the school. Sometimes Lexi will even ask Kelly for dating advice. “I pretty much grew up with Kelly. It’s easy to talk to her; she’s a really good listener,” Lexi says.

Lexi credits Kelly with helping her gain confidence and learning to accept herself.

“She’s really an individual person who has a strong faith in what is right and wrong for her. It didn’t take much, I just had to encourage her to trust her gut,” explains Kelly.

There’s one message Kelly was surprised to learn still resonates with Lexi. “She taught me if I say something bad about myself, I have to say five positive things about myself. I actually have spread that lesson to my friends.”

Lexi isn’t the only one who’s learned valuable lessons over the years. “I’ve become a better listener. I learned I don’t have to jump in and actually ‘save the day’. The interesting thing is I’ve been able to carry that over and have a better relationship with my kids now,” Kelly says.

For students who are considering becoming a TeamMates mentee or who have just started with the program, Lexi wants to remind them, “It’s okay to talk to your mentor. They’re there to help you and to be your friend.”

Kelly explains that TeamMates is beneficial for both the mentee and the mentor. “There’s a certain point where you think you’re helping somebody and then you realize they’re helping you back.”