This year I am lucky enough to be volunteering with Artisans, which helps adults with disabilities gain employment. Two weeks ago I met my mentee, Brittany, who I will be working with throughout the year. Coming into this, I was a bit nervous considering I have never worked with persons who have a disability. The nerves and excitement built up during the car ride to Artisans, where I would be meeting Brittany for the first time. During the first visit, we did multiple arts and crafts and set some goals for the year that we would work on during my visits. The two goals that we decided to focus on were writing her name in cursive and building a friendship between us two.
With just one visit, I could tell that this was less of a mentorship and more of a time for us both to build. I came in expecting to be teaching her; however, I can already tell that the teaching will be a mutual experience. Brittany is one of the kindest humans I have ever met and absolutely loves doing things for others.
On my second visit, I walked into Artisans office to see her making me a mask, well, just because. We then went to the mall to get ice cream and to look for a dress for her to wear to the Winter Ball at Gonzaga. With a limit of $20, she was getting a bit frustrated while shopping around Nordstrom’s. At the end of our time at the mall, we found a store that had a dress for just $15. She was ecstatic, and I absolutely loved being able to see her face once she tried on that dress and saw how stunning she looked (she also can’t wait to show it off to her boyfriend).
The positivity Brittany has in all situations is something I admire. She had a budget that she stuck with throughout shopping, and even though several of the dresses we found were quite pricey, she was optimistic that we would find one beautiful dress for a reasonable price. Brittany started to be more outgoing during this visit, which excites me for my visits yet to come. I can tell this friendship is getting ready to flourish and I am ready to challenge myself and learn all that I can from Brittany.
-Abby Kovac
Seton of Gonzaga
Elizabeth, Megan, Johnna, Brittany, and Abby visiting the River Park Mall for ice cream and dress shopping.
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