The word “mentor” comes from Homer’s epic, The Odyssey. The story goes that when Odysseus went off to fight in the Trojan War, he entrusted his family’s care to Mentor, who served as the advisor, teacher and overseer of Odysseus’ son, Telemachus. Mentor nurtured and protected Telemachus and served as his guide. As time passed, “mentor” became a word used to describe a wise and trusted advisor or teacher, and a special person who invests time and energy into developing the skills and growth of another person.

Madeleine Lanza-Giraldi of Huntington is one of those special people. She is the co-founder and executive director of Si Se Puede Mentoring Group (SSP), an all-volunteer organization whose mission is to promote education and career opportunities for at-risk high school students by providing mentors to help students get a better appreciation of the opportunities available to them upon graduation.

Founded in 2006, Si Se Puede (which translates to “Yes I Can”) works with volunteers from the local business community who interact with and educate Brentwood High School students. Mentors include business professionals, retirees and educators, and they also work closely with the Long Island Mentoring Partnership.

After spending 19 years as a senior marketing executive at Pall Corporation, Madeleine’s job was excised, but she viewed the layoff as an opportunity, not a setback. She began teaching marketing and business communications at Farmingdale State College as an adjunct professor, and saw the need to help young people continue their education firsthand after one of her students dropped out of her class. “He was doing well and then I didn’t see him,” she remembers. “I made a connection with him and found out that he had no support [at home].” After Madeleine bolstered his confidence he returned to school. “I thought, what if we provided more support at the high school level,” she remembers. “I wanted to give back in some way. I have always been involved in not-for-profits. I like to help people.”

SSP continues to work closely with Farmingdale State College. According to Madeleine, “[College president] Dr. Keene embraced what we are doing and everybody [there] has been really great.”
The freshman center mentoring group at Brentwood High School includes about 15 students, and this past year, Madeleine started an offshoot peer-to-peer mentoring club for the higher grades, which now has about 25 participants. Students and mentors meet twice a month after school for one hour to help with homework, career and education questions and understanding and appreciating their potential.

“Parents tell me that our program has made a difference,” Madeleine says proudly. “The students feel empowered and enthusiastic. This is what we are trying to do. The students have become friends outside of the program and seek each other out.”

Madeleine is looking to recruit new mentors; her goal is to have more corporate participation in the program and she also hopes to expand SSP to include vocational mentors.“If every company gave us three employees throughout the community, they could change the world,” says Madeleine. “This is where we need the help of local businesses and professionals. The students can see from a professional standpoint if they have what it takes. The fact that you’re there shows commitment.”

The next step for SSP is helping parents navigate the college application and financial process for their college-bound children, and motivating the students to do community service. “I want them to think about how and what they can do to improve their community,” says Madeleine, “and say, ‘Yes, I can.’”

For more information go to www.sisepuedementors.org or email Madeleine at mlanza@sisepuedementors.org

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