99% of mentoring is showing you care

By Mandy Donovan | Citizens

When COVID-19 forced Boston public schools to go fully remote in 2020, some students got left behind. The shy, quiet kids who weren’t likely to raise their hand in class, now felt more isolated than ever.

Gone were the days when a teacher could spot a quiet student at their desk and realize they were tuned out. With online learning, a student could be slightly out of frame and totally detached.

Hadassah, a sophomore, was one of the many kids struggling to stay connected while going to high school online. That’s when Margot Bosse, a 23-year-old Human Resources Associate, started mentoring her with Citizens’ financial empowerment program.

Through a partnership with Agassiz Village, a non-profit organization for youth in Somerville, Mass., Citizens Community Ambassadors are partnered with young people for financial education and mentorship.

Agassiz Village’s year-long mentorship program services teens ages 14-16, and its summer camp serves those ages 8-13. Typically, these interactions happen in person, but the lockdown in 2020 forced Agassiz Village to go digital.

It turns out a virtual connection can be as powerful as an in-person one.

Making connections

Margot Bosse was a 2020 graduate of Boston University, which had also recently gone virtual. Margot understood the challenges of remote learning first-hand, so she was paired with Hadassah.

“I wanted to see if I could make an impact because I struggled, so I imagine a lot of other people were struggling (and are currently struggling) as we are in this hybrid environment now.”

Getting Hadassah to talk wasn’t easy.

For their first few meetings, Hadassah’s mother, Yoldie, joined the conversation. Whenever Margot asked a question, Haddash would look at her mother before speaking.

“Hadassah is a very shy person and I noticed that from the moment that we had our first Zoom,” Margot shared.

One day when they were talking over Zoom, Hadassah could hear a loud squawking in the background. She was curious about the commotion, so Margot introduced her to a 26-year-old umbrella cockatoo named Coco. Hadassah lit up at the sight of the exotic bird.

“She was mystified that I had this old bird. I’m 23 and Coco is three years older than me!” Margot said.

Suddenly, they were bonding over their love of animals. Not just birds, but dogs, fish, and even snakes. (Yoldie drew the line when the subject of a pet snake came up. It was a hard “NO!”)

Their universal love of animals created a meaningful connection. From there, Margot was able to dig deeper to help Hadassah feel more comfortable talking.

Patience is something I’ve had to learn,” said Margot. “The littlest type of opening up is huge progress. And it was beautiful for me to see how every time Hadassah and I spent time together, I would learn one or two new things about her.”

Once they started talking one-on-one, Hadassah gradually become more vocal and excited to talk to Margot every week. Margot was thrilled too, because it meant she was achieving one of the goals she had set for her mentorship experience.

“I’m one of those people who sets goals before I go into something — to make sure that I hold myself accountable, and that I’m making a difference.” Margot said.

Margot’s main goal for mentoring was to be a steady and consistent source of support during an unpredictable time.

“I want to be a cheerleader, I want to be a supporter, but I’m also there for someone to talk to,” Margot shared enthusiastically. “I am there no matter what and will serve as an advocate and an ally from the start.” 

In addition to moral support, Margot assisted Hadassah with tips and tricks on getting organized, such as using different colored highlighters for different school subjects. Margot also helped Hadassah create a schedule with time blocked out for homework, relaxation, and spending time with friends.

“Being a sophomore in high school can be hard. It’s something I remember, and it’s a time of adjustment. It’s a time where you need your friends and family and not getting that interaction because of Covid is a huge challenge,” Margot explained.

A family event

Yoldie, Hadassah, and Tammy talked with Margot, who shared advice about homework, career growth, and mortgage planning.

Although Margot had originally signed up to mentor one 14-year-old girl, by the end of the eight weeks, she took Hadassah’s entire family under her wing.

Yoldie was next.

Yoldie’s goal was to buy a house. So Margot helped her develop a plan.

Yoldie had saved enough money for a down-payment but wanted to learn more about buying an affordable house in a good location for her family. Margot’s first step was to research financial assistance programs for first-time homeowners.

Margot gave Yoldie all the information she would need to apply for funding, as well as research on affordable communities, types of loans, and real estate listings. Margot passed the information back to Agassiz Village so other families could benefit, too.

Margot had helped Hadassah and then her mom. Next Yoldie said, “You need to meet my other daughter, Tammy.”

Tammy was in college and working part-time as a teller (coincidentally) at a Citizens branch inside a Stop & Shop. Margot began talking to Tammy, too, as she did with Hadassah and Yoldie.

Tammy wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted to do when she graduated. When the topic of human resources as a career came up, Margot had a lot to share, given her position in the HR department at Citizens.

“This was something she could do where she could have a career, where she could grow,” Margot said.

Tammy didn’t have a resume, so Margot shared her own and gave her some tips. She coached her about the importance of internships, interview skills, and how to prepare for working after college.

“She’s very ambitious. I saw a lot of myself in her,” Margot said.

Margot encouraged Tammy to set a goal and talk to her manager about what she wanted to achieve – whether it was a more senior role at a branch or working for the corporate office once she graduated.

“I connected so well with Tammy and the entire family. I was so glad I got to meet them because they helped me grow as a person. Each of them had a different outlook on life, but such a positive outlook. And it changed my viewpoint.”

This year, Margot is hoping to work with Agassiz Village on a workshop for resume and cover-letter writing, so she can have an impact on more teens.

Ready to make a difference

One of the reasons Margot chose to work at Citizens is because of the emphasis on giving back to the community.

“This is a company where being involved is so important. They want me to give back. And that is something that that really resonated with me. It’s so great to have that type of culture.”

“Volunteering can have a profound impact on our colleagues and communities,” said Reza Aghamirzadeh, EVP, Head of Community Development. “That is why at Citizens we’re committed to supporting colleagues to actively engage in the communities where they live and work. We know that when colleagues share their time and expertise, it has the potential to have a positive impact on everyone.”

In total, Citizens Colleagues performed more than 122,000 hours of volunteer service – both virtual and in-person.

If you need one more reason to dive into volunteering, Margot’s got some final words of wisdom to share:

“I went into it to help someone else. But I got back so much more. I hope I made an impact on Hadassah and her entire family because they truly had an impact on me.”

How to get involved

Margot says there are no special skills required to start mentoring. “The biggest thing is that you’re there. You show up. Just being able to be heard is so powerful,” said Margot.

Everyone has something to offer. Your life experiences have made you ready to be who you are today, so you can talk about what you know, share your career path, and dig deeper into areas in which you have expertise.

Citizens Colleagues have access to a volunteer portal to discover opportunities that are a fit for their unique personality and experience. If you don’t work at Citizens — we can fix that — there are lots of ways to volunteer in your community too. Explore remote or in-person volunteer opportunities at VolunteerMatch.org.