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Mentors Profiles
After being orphaned at the age of 8 in Sudan, John Amol fled from his homeland to Ethiopia; then to a Kenyan United Nations installation camp; and finally, in 2001 to the United States as a refugee.
A sponsoring church provided him not only with a home, but also a mentor in Nancy Leckerling, who has seen him through his years at the University of Connecticut, where he has now graduated. Despite his incredible resilience and hard work, he needed the guidance, encouragement and support to apply to college and the Phillips Scholarship, and then to work his way through the challenges that he has so successfully faced through the years.
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 As a high school math teacher, Richard Vaughn, pictured right, has taken an active part in his students’ lives not only in high school but during their college years.
He has been a support when there was a need for a job, a problem to overcome, or a success to share, and when it came time to apply for a Phillips Scholarship, his recommendations were extensive, demonstrating his thorough knowledge of the students he’s chosen to mentor. A recent visit to the Scholarship office gave testimony to the value of these adult to student relationships in achieving student self-reliance, maturity and success in academic and social realms.
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 While guidance counselors and parents provide the main support to high school students throughout their four years, there is often an advantage of having another significant adult present in their lives to provide extra encouragement and assistance needed at times.
Penny Bigmore, already an accomplished college coach to her four children, provided such support to her neighbor, Erica Hedstrom.
The two met together weekly, from January through May, to go over “To Do” lists and discuss progress made in the scholarship application process. Penny was proud of Erica’s tenacity and was able to rejoice together with her on the arrival of a Phillips Scholarship award.
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