Meeting Isiah

The Scene

The library at James A. Gregory Academy in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood was a nicely air-conditioned and colorful open space on the second floor. I’ve walked into many public schools in my time that were dark, scuffed, cluttered and claustrophobic. But, everything about Gregory was light and lively. There was a lot going on this particular day and into the evening when I arrived – a book fair, some school activities and club meetings, and the Spark Match Event.

The Spark Match Event is the moment when Spark mentors like me meet their students for the first time. I joined a group of 31 adults in the school library; all had signed up for this same experience and were patiently waiting for instructions.

The Mentors 

It was immediately clear that some mentors knew each other. Spark has a number of companies now that routinely host five or more students – indeed some take 30, 40, 50 and more. Given that our model is both staff intensive and highly affected by travel and logistics (students commute from their school campus to their mentors’ workplaces for each apprenticeship session), having larger numbers of students going to one place is a more scalable approach. However, we still have plenty of what I call "onsies" and "twosies," those small businesses and nonprofits that host a student or two. Spark itself counts in that category thanks to employee mentors.

Meeting Our Students 

After a good 45-minute refresher training from two of Spark's program staff, it was finally time for us all to venture downstairs to the auditorium where a group of eager, earnest and excited seventh and eighth graders awaited us with their families.

We were all given the name of our student on a piece of paper, along with a word that was described as “one part of a famous pair.” It’s a cute way to connect the students and mentors and make the "mentoring matches." My slip read “Isiah,” and the term “ham.”

As we entered the expansive room, about 10 students were grouped in front of us. They were each clad with a bright blue polo shirt, adorned with the Spark logo – a thoughtful gesture entirely conceived and created by the teachers and administrators at Gregory.

As the particular group of students standing directly in front of me constituted only one boy and the rest girls, it was pretty obvious whom I should approach. Sure enough, Isiah had a cut of paper of his own with the term “green eggs” on it. And so the match was confirmed. He looked straight at me with a striking wide smile, extended his hand to meet mine, and we greeted.

Getting to Know Each Other 

I was struck not only by how genuine and poised this young man was, but also how comfortable and gracious the initial interaction was. Neither of us felt forced. We were both clearly interested to learn about each other. I began peppering Isiah with questions: 

• “Where do you live?” – just down the street.  
• “Who’s your family?” – mom, stepdad, and two younger sisters.  
• “What food do you like?” – all kinds, especially french fries and crab legs. 
• “What’s your favorite movie?” – favorites in each category, like comedy, action, sci-fi. 
• “What sports do you like?” – basketball and football.

He wanted to introduce me to his mom, who was sitting at the front of the auditorium, so he escorted me down the aisle. When I first saw her, it became clear where this young man got his energy and engaging affect, as well as his big bright smile. Isiah’s mother was effusive, telling me how thrilled she was that her son had this amazing opportunity to participate in Spark. She also wished she had something like Spark when she was growing up. I was really taken by her. Her overt happiness gave me a lift. The cool, almost-best-friend-like interplay she and Isiah displayed was infectious. I just wanted to smile the whole time.

We sorted out all the logistics – him taking the El, me picking him up at the station, making sure his mom had my number. I showed him a picture of the Spark office, so he knew where he’d be spending his time. I confess I felt a bit insecure that he wouldn’t be going to a swanky office on an upper floor of a big high rise like he would have done with one of our company partners. But, I know the adventure for him will be much the same nonetheless.

I left that evening thinking a lot about all the mentors engaged with Spark this session – nearly a thousand, from all stripes, many different fields and all sorts of companies. I wondered what their Match Event experience was like. Did they experience the same emotions? Did they connect with their student? Did they feel emboldened as I did? Did they feel ready to start an amazing experience with a cool kid?