Bianca Voss and MacKenzie Guynn We all hear them. The announcements made in gathering almost daily reminding freshman and all upper-class mentors to meet up during planned events in order to uphold the relationships forged by Roman-to-Roman. The new program was created last year by students and faculty to provide a mentor for each freshman to not only go to for advice regarding the transition into high school, but to also create a friendship with another student in a different grade. “The goal of the program is to foster relationships between the freshmen and upperclassmen,” said Catie Cronister, one of the heads of the Roman-to-Roman. “We want the mentee to have someone to talk to about little things and big things and help make the transition to the upper school as smooth as possible.” Bianca Voss: As a freshman, I have had a lot of new ideas thrown at me in the past few weeks since school has started, but my mentor was always someone who I could turn to for advice or guidance, and many other freshmen feel the same. At least when they actually meet each other that is. There are countless freshmen who constantly mumble the lack of correspondence with their mentor whenever an announcement is made. However, I am not a member of this group. I’m able to see my mentor every morning in robotics club. While we don’t always talk about school and ways she can help me solve any problems I may be having, we are able to talk about our common interests and grow a relationship. These natural, carefree conversations are a part of why she is such a good mentor. She offers helpful anecdotes when needed, but she isn’t overbearing and doesn’t contact me day-in and day-out. I think we can all agree on how annoying that would be. Instead, she friended me on Facebook after we met for the first time during the picnic lunch and gave me her number in case I ever wanted to contact her, the perfect combination. But, not everyone is as fortunate. MacKenzie Guynn: I don’t share any clubs or classes with my mentor, making it more difficult to reach out and build a strong relationship. After my mentor and I first met, we didn’t communicate until Roman-to-Roman set a time during the day to meet with our mentors. Having a specific time carved out in our schedules was an easy way to get in contact with my mentor and spend one-on-one time with her. With the help of the Roman-to-Roman gathering, my mentor became someone I can seek out for advice and I now have a friend in a different grade. As a new member of Latin’s high school community, I am grateful to have a program such as Roman-to-Roman, and hope that other freshmen have a similar transition and journey through high school thanks to their mentors. The key to navigating Roman-to-Roman seems to be sharing common interests with your mentor. But even if the only time you see your buddy is at an organized event, it is possible to enjoy your time with each other this year and build a connection that will carry on through the rest of high school. ]]>