Claudia Solis-Fisher

Student

“A lot of times a mentor can keep somebody in school by providing support and guidance.”

The word “mentor” has special significance for Claudia Solis-Fisher. As a mentor student with the Hispanic Center, she has found how important the guiding influence of a mentor can be. And as a member of the newly formed Young Mentor’s Club, she passes on her positive experience to local high school students.

“The Hispanic Center is trying to help students to stay in school,” Claudia says, explaining that dropouts are frequent in her community. Mentors are recruited either from the community or from the SMC staff, adds the 31-year-old architecture major.

Claudia considers herself lucky to have two mentors. “We don’t meet on a regular basis,” she says. “But what is so important to me, is that I can grab the phone anytime and call them up.” She says her mentors help with personal and academic problems and “just make you feel that you’re not alone.”

Stimulated by their own positive experience, about 20 mentor students have founded the Young Mentor’s Club. “We’re planning to go to the high schools and help students by tutoring them,” explains Claudia of the venture.

At SMC since last summer, Claudia is currently concentrating on general education classes. “To me it’s important to prepare myself step by step to where I’m going. And if I can help myself by taking word processing classes or by starting math on a more basic level, I feel I’ll be a lot better prepared.”

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