Jhett and Bryan Oswald

Bryan and Jhett

June 2017 TeamMates of the Month: Dedicated to Success

Jhett and Bryan Oswald
Jhett and Bryan Oswald

“I’ve got to sign up for this thing. This is pretty cool,” Bryan Oswald said to himself after TeamMates co-founder Dr. Tom Osborne spoke at his church about the need for mentors. Bryan applied to become a mentor, attended the required training session, and has mentored ever since. At the TeamMates Recognition Event in January, Bryan was given the Decade of Difference Award for serving as a TeamMates mentor for ten years.

Bryan and his current mentee, Jhett, started meeting when Jhett was in 5th grade. The two initially bonded over sports. “We went outside all the time,” remembers Bryan. “We played football, basketball, soccer. He beats me 90% of the time­–maybe 95.”

Now a junior at Southwest High School, Jhett still enjoys sports, playing basketball and baseball for the Silverhawks. Bryan and Jhett don’t spend as much time outside during their weekly meetings; instead, they focus more on Jhett’s goals after high school. “I want to attend the Air Force Academy and I want to fly the F-22 Raptor,” shares Jhett.

Bryan believes in Jhett and is helping him achieve those goals by researching application requirements together and helping with schoolwork when Jhett asks.

“The best thing is seeing how goal-oriented and intelligent he is,” Bryan says with pride. “He’s going to do really good when he gets into his career.”

Jhett notices that he is more responsible and comfortable now than when he first started meeting with Bryan almost 6 years ago. He recognizes how meeting with Bryan every week helps him. “If I’m having a stressful day, I get an hour out of my day and hang out.”

Bryan is a dedicated mentor and is a member of the TeamMates “24 or More Club”. Gallup research shows that when a match meets at least 24 times during a school year, there can be a positive impact on the mentee’s grades, discipline referrals and attendance. For everything Bryan gives as a mentor, he truly feels he receives more in return. “Meeting him every week during the school year–I look forward to it because it’s something different. Everybody gets so busy, but once you slow down and take a little time, it’s satisfying.”