Drew and Cain
March 2017 TeamMates of the Month: A Perfect Match
Drew Worster’s advice for anyone considering becoming a mentor is simple, “It may seem like a lot to meet with somebody once a week, and sometimes it is, but you can find time. You can make it work.”
Drew has been able to find the time to meet with his mentee, Cain, consistently since the two were matched six years ago.
Drew was familiar with the TeamMates Mentoring Program, having been a mentee all four years of high school at Northeast. He was recruited to become a mentor shortly after graduating high school by his former teacher and Dawes TeamMates facilitator, Judi Yost. She encouraged Drew to mentor because she had a student she knew would be a great match.
Judi Yost was right; Drew and Cain are a perfect match. They both agree that even during their early meetings it was never awkward because they share so many interests. Cain recalls finding it easy to trust Drew from the very beginning, “I trusted Ms. Yost that she’d find someone that was right for me.”
Drew and Cain have taught each other valuable lessons. With a laugh, Drew reveals that Cain taught him how to deal with stubbornness. More importantly, he’s learned to see things from a new perspective. “When I was a mentee, it was just a different relationship, a different dynamic. I was very driven towards what I wanted to do and my mentor was very supportive. Now being on the other side, Cain has his dreams of being a pilot and doing photography. I do what I can to support that versus being on the receiving side.”
Cain credits Drew with teaching him a variety of things that have benefited him. “He teaches me patience and just understanding that you can’t change everything; you sometimes have to let things be. And that you have to work hard to get what you want.”
Even though Cain still enjoys beating Drew at Chess every chance he can, their relationship has evolved. “It went from just having fun to setting goals, meeting those goals and then setting new goals and repeating that process,” explains Cain. One of his goals is to become a pilot and he knows the steps he needs to take to achieve that goal. After graduating in May, Cain plans on attending SCC to attain some college credits before joining the military.
Cain always looks forward to his time with Drew. “I get a release during the week. Even though we’re still in school, it’s like I’m out of school. I’m free for a period where I can just talk…with TeamMates I’m able to take a break.”
Being able to talk to Cain about special milestones in his life has been memorable for Drew. “He was with me when I graduated college, when I got married, now he’s about to graduate high school. It’s been a long relationship.”
For anyone who may wonder what a TeamMates relationship is like, Cain describes it as “a connection between two people and it continues to grow and prosper.”