Senior Kaitlyn Forsythe and her mentee, Marie, of PALs project had a bit of a different one-on-one this past week. Prior to their usual meeting time, Marie called Kaitlyn and informed her that she was sick with the flu. However, this did not stop Kaitlyn from driving over to Marie’s house to give her a hug and tell her to feel better in person. At project meeting, Kaitlyn mentioned how she missed Marie and didn’t want to go the week without seeing her. While this one-on-one was a quick hello and the pair didn’t have the opportunity to focus on an NHRI concept, it clearly illustrates one of the defining features of NHRI- developing empathy level relationships between mentors and mentees that lasts years. Kaitlyn going to tell Marie in person to feel better instead of just skipping meeting for the week is truly a testament to the level of relationship that the pair have developed over the course of the three years they have been together. Their one-on-one also goes to show that, even if things don’t go as planned, mentors and mentees can still make one another feel cared for and enjoy seeing one another.
~Madelyn Mann
Nebraska Human Resources Institute 