Dear Friends and Colleagues: We invite you to join us as a volunteer Mentor with LATINONETworks, a program whose purpose is to bring Connecticut’s Latino college students together with Latino Professionals, in ways that provide students with Orientation, Support, and Mentorship toward future careers. Mentorship is a successful strategy for development at any age. Volunteers play a significant role in students' lives. As a mentor, you can be a friend and guide who helps open students' eyes to the things he or she can achieve, help them discover how to unlock and attain his or her potential, and succeed in life. Additionally, as a mentor, you also enjoy the satisfying experience of observing and influencing the development of aspirant specialists become full, competent members of your own profession. Many of our college students serve as mentors to their High School counterparts; yet too often find no one to serve as a mentor to himself or herself. It is up to us, the Latino professional community to do for them what they do for their younger peers. Thus, we encourage you, strongly, to become a volunteer because so many of our youth need someone in their life to help them succeed. If you join us as a mentor, we ask only that you attend and interact with students at our first annual Meet and Greet Festival titled: “LATINONETworks: Building contacts Between College Students and Professionals”. The theme for this year’s activity is: “Beyond ‘Yes We Can’ to ‘Yes We‘re Doing” (de ‘Si, Se Puede’ a ‘Si, Lo Hacemos’)”. It is scheduled to take place on Saturday April 24th from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at: Wilbur Cross High School 181 Mitchell Drive New Haven, CT 06511 We are confident that students will have many questions around which to interact: • What do you do in a typical day? • What are the most important skills someone should have to succeed in your profession? • What types of part-time, full-time / summer jobs, or internships should I be getting right now which may prepare me for this career path? • What kind of a salary can I expect as a new member of your profession? • How do you personally balance home and work? Please see the attached addendum for a more complete list of potential questions students may ask. The “Meet and Greet” activities will be followed by a Latino Art, Music, and Food Festival scheduled from 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM, which you are also welcome to attend. We look forward to you joining us at this year’s LATINONETworks Festival. Please send your name, job title, a brief description of your profession, and e-mail address (cell phone # optional) to: WLuna@gwcc.commnet.edu For information on volunteering, call us at 203-285-2212 or email at: WLuna@gwcc.commnet.edu Sincerely, Carlos A. Torre 203-668-9940 carlos.torre@yale.edu