I vividly remember my early high school years, in which I assumed the roles of both a mentor and tutor. Despite the claims that getting through high school is perhaps the most difficult and possibly the least memorable part of an individual's life, I consider my time at high school of utmost importance because of the experiences and memories I earnestly accumulated over the five years of schooling. Although, memories are often generalized as something positive that impacted your life significantly, for me, this entailment is only half true. What shaped my memories in high school was the chance to enrich the lives of those whom I mentored, and to be perfectly honest, it was a supremely rewarding experience

During the year I was enrolled in grade ten social studies, my teacher whom I also consider a dear friend of mine, recommended me to a mentorship program. Admittedly, at first I was a little skeptical, but inevitably, I accepted the role gracefully. I expressed interest in the program simply because I had every intention to get rid of my incessant timidity. While walking back home from school, I often appeared to be in a trance. I was mesmerized by the thought of being able to actually execute the ideas I thought up in my head. Despite the fact that I often deny it, I was a strange boy back then, with a real passion for teaching. Inspired by the "Harry Potter" books, I vowed to myself, that if I were to become a teacher in the future, I could not miss the chance to sort the students into four teams or houses. The ideas kept on coming and I was undoubtedly, very excited to be a full-fledged mentor.

My mark as a leader could not have come soon enough. I was literally flabbergasted. When I first met the students, I knew I was going to have a remarkable year ahead of me. The first thing I did that I can recall was giving the students an outline that I made, which carefully expounded what I offered as a mentor. My supervisor was incredibly down to earth and the young students whom I worked with were so wonderful. As my time as a mentor further progressed, I thought of new ideas I strived to implement to benefit the individuals whom I mentored. First, I thought of making an Olympic-esque event, which for the most part was very successful. Later, I made some mock exams for the students to use to practice for their upcoming tests. In return, though I did not expect anything from them, they gave me their sincerest gratitude. On the last day of my mentorship, they threw me a party and made me a beautiful card, thanking me for my hard work and effort as a peer mentor. My supervisor then proceeded to nominate me for a prestigious Good Neighbours Youth' award, in which I attended the proceeding year.

Perhaps the most memorable time at high school was playing with these students and helping them to succeed. I gave them advice and I offered them help whenever needed. It wasn't long before I developed a strong bond with each and every one of them. Life before I met any of them, admittedly, was very dull and much too convoluted for my taste. But what really makes this a wonderful memory is the experience as a whole. It was a wonderful opportunity to actually do whatever possible to make a difference in someone else's life and have your life change, also. It was the kind of experience that made me more confident in myself and ready to take on the real world. This is the kind of memory that will stay with me forever, as it is responsible for molding me into the person I am today. That is someone compassionate, who enjoys helping kids. It's these kinds of experiences that I most cherish simply because of the role they played in my growth.

Learn more about this author, Riley Hun.
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