Favorite Parts of Working in the Nonprofit Industry as a Co Director at Minds Matter SoCal
Beth's favorite aspect of working in the youth mentorship industry is witnessing the "enormous optimism" and high aspirations of students, believing in their ability to achieve "lofty goals." However, the transition to college sometimes presents challenges as students compare themselves to others, highlighting the importance of fostering confidence and reminding them of their inherent value.
Working with Young People, Mentoring, Higher Education, College Preparation, Building Confidence
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
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Beth Garfield
Co-Director, LA Senior Program
Minds Matter SoCal
Stanford University, 1974
University of Michigan Law School
Psychology
Law, Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Legal
None Applicable
Video Highlights
1. Working with young, optimistic students and witnessing their belief in achieving lofty goals is incredibly rewarding.
2. The program instills confidence in students, helping them navigate the challenges of transitioning to college and comparing themselves to other high-achieving peers.
3. Beth highlights the importance of maintaining self-confidence and believing in one's abilities, even when facing academic competition in college
Transcript
What do you enjoy most about being in your industry?
Working with young people, they are so excited about life and all the possibilities of what their lives can be. For the most part, they are enormously optimistic.
I think probably if there's a quality about our students at Minds Matter, it's that they believe they can reach their goals. They have lofty goals for themselves and for what they can do for their families in the future.
They truly believe in themselves, and that's a spectacular thing to see in a young 17 or 18-year-old as they go off to college. Sometimes they get a little shot down when they get to college, because they've been stars in their high schools.
All of our students are excellent academically. Then they get to college and all of a sudden there are all these excellent students, and they start comparing themselves.
I think that's true for any college student. It was certainly true when I went to college, and I saw the same thing when my daughters went to college. It's kind of comparing yourself and sometimes feeling bad that maybe you don't measure up.
What I hope we give our students more than anything else is the confidence to know that they are incredible.