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Heroes in comic books and movies usually have colorful backstories -- you have the antiheroes, the unlikely heroes, and your bit-by-a-radioactive spider heroes. 🕸️
If your student seems uninterested in their studies, or lacking a clear sense of purpose, the reason may surprise you!
Does school ever feel like a 9-5 job your student just punches in and out of?
You know your child has so much potential, but they hesitate to put themselves out there. You remind them of all their great qualities -- they brush it off! Or you highlight their talent in XYZ -- they play it down. You make a suggestion to try XYZ activity that would be perfect for them, and they immediately push back. You just want them to thrive... so WHY won't they just listen to you?
In this blog, Curious Cardinals CEO and co-founder Audrey Wisch will answer your burning back-to-school questions and hopefully ease some of your fears. We know how overwhelming this transition is, and we're here to provide support. Need tailored advice or suggestions for supporting your student? Get started here.
Hey Mentee Barbies, Parent Barbies, and all you Curious Barbies out there,
Meet Anya, a Stanford math whiz who had zero interest in coding...until she tried an intro class freshman year. That simple act unlocked a hidden passion!
As part of this month's Mentor Reflection series, we asked Priyanka Aiyer (Princeton, '23) to think back on her journey in discovering her LGBT+ identity, and share meaningful insights for parents navigating conversations on this topic with their children. Read her reflections below:
The lull of summer boredom confined me to my room as the nerves of my upcoming sophomore year occupied my thoughts. As the COVID restrictions lessened going into the 2021 school year, I could no longer justify my procrastination and lack of motivation; I would be starting the school year in person without the grace period of trying out new things that freshman year offered. There were so many clubs and extracurriculars that I wanted to explore, but I lacked experience in many, and as a shy student, fear of failure and putting myself out there held me back from even trying. One club that I had always been interested in was MUN; as a student passionate about history, global relations, and research, it felt like the perfect intersection for all of my interests. However, my inadequate knowledge of politics and the rules of debate made me anxious to join a club I knew would be filled with outgoing and confident student members. When I expressed this to my sister, who was a Curious Cardinals mentor herself, she recommended that I find a mentor from Curious Cardinals, a program I had completed an online Cosmetic Chemistry class with that past spring. I was intrigued. But I assumed that this would look like finding a tutor who specializes in MUN and I wasn't sure if that's what I really wanted. However, after reading the profiles of these mentors and going through the detailed matching process, those assumptions were quickly dispelled. When looking at the mentor profiles recommended for me, I was shocked at how perfect they appeared as mentor matches for me. They shared qualities and passions with me. They were impressively well-rounded, accomplished, and not too much older in age than me. One of the women, Lydia, was described as someone who loved ancient history, classics, and languages and was studying at Harvard. Lydia sounded less like a tutor and more like an inspiration for whom I would want to be in 10 years.
Mental Health Awareness Month, which takes place in May and aligns with the conclusion of the academic year, can be an extremely challenging and stressful time for students. Our students often express their appreciation for mentors who have recently experienced similar difficulties and understand the hardships they are currently enduring.
Mentor Reflections is our series where we hear from our mentor’s first-hand experience.
Today, we are sharing a reflection from Katie Fong (Stanford ‘22), a Curious Cardinal Mentor, regarding the gap year she took during her high school years. Read her thoughts below
