On Friday, May 8, the Affinity Mentorship class held an annual end-of-year celebration at Piedmont High School to applaud the positive impact the class has made on the youth.
The evening kicked off with a message from superintendent Dr. Jennifer Hawn, followed by an overview of the celebration from DEIB director and Affinity Mentorship teacher Jean Takazawa.
“This is the largest we’ve ever been in terms of event and class size, and that tells us that this is important,” Takazawa said.
High school student speakers took the stage next, each sharing a small speech to honor the graduating seniors, and talk about their experiences in the program. At the end of the program, elementary and middle school mentees shared their experiences with Affinity Mentorship.
“I liked hanging out and getting to know the girls,” said Piedmont Middle School eighth grader Grace Fa. “The mentees speaking was my favorite part of the event.”
Havens kindergartner Iqra Sheikh said that the highlight of the Affinity Mentorship program was building close bonds with high schoolers.
“I became really close friends with my mentors. My favorite part was getting ice cream once,” Sheikh said. “I also learned more about how my religion works.”
Takazawa said mentorship is uniquely valuable for high school and elementary students alike.
“The little kids have older kids who believe in them and encourage them and give them permission to talk about their identity, which is really powerful,” Takazawa said.
Piedmont High School parent Michelle Kwok said that this program has helped her daughter Kate, a PHS junior, grow and become more confident.
“As a parent, seeing her grow in her leadership and public speaking as well as embracing her culture is really inspiring,” Kwok said. “This brought the community together. It’s especially important for kids because the Bay Area has lots of mixed-race kids and the Affinity Mentorship program makes them feel a sense of belonging.”
Piedmont High School parent Wilanie Williams said that the pairing of younger kids with older kids is especially purposeful.
“Making meaningful connections across all grade levels is really powerful,” Williams said. “Bringing people together in so many different ways, it’s great to see young and old kids together.”
The program at Alan Harvey Theater was followed by a dinner in the quad. A wide variety of food was offered, including a taco stand, Korean food, and Cybelle’s Pizza, concluding with mango sticky rice and cookies for dessert.
“Everyone is enjoying themselves, and the food is great,” Kwok said.
Takazawa said a program like this is a group effort and appreciates the support Piedmont gives to Affinity Mentorship.
“Huge gratitude for our community. It requires all the parents, students, and admin to make this possible,” Takazawa said.
