Villanova University students transforming lives of Radnor middle schoolers through mentorship
The Villanova University women's basketball team is giving back to the community in the form of mentorship.
Through a partnership between the Radnor School District and Villanova University, 14 student-athletes from Villanova provided guidance to 28 eighth graders from Radnor Middle School over the course of four sessions.
The fourth and final session was held on Tuesday, when the Villanova students gave a tour of their locker room to their mentees and made TikTok videos together.
"I'm really grateful for this program because it has taught me a lot of things," Radnor Middle School eighth grader Leah Humphrey said.
Villanova players guided the middle schoolers on key topics like time management, self-esteem and peer pressure.
"We've been learning our leadership skills and important assets we can take through our lives," Radnor Middle School student Luna MacCrory said. "We're also learning about where your priorities are."
The girls said getting to know their mentors was a valuable experience.
"They go through many experiences that you might go through and you might learn from what they did or make a better choice," Radnor Middle School student Amelia Torres said.
The eighth graders will be starting high school in the fall. Some of them said they have already become better students through the mentorship program.
"I've been working on balancing my homework a lot better this year and setting timers for myself, so knowing when to get off and when like, doing work is actually not helpful anymore," middle school student Betsy Ask said.
Basketball player Annie Welde, a junior majoring in communications at Villanova University, said she hopes to inspire more girls through mentorship.
"You don't realize how much of an impact you can have," Welde said. "For me, like I show up every day and go to practice, but these girls see us as much more than that."
The Radnor School District said the program has been so successful that they're expanding it. This fall, 12 Villanova men's football players will be paired up to mentor 24 seventh grade boys of color.
