Keeping It Going,
One Student At A Time
Across New York City, thousands of mentors are making a powerful difference in the lives of public school students. This month, we highlight a mentor/mentee pair who were recently honored for their outstanding commitment and dedication.

It’s not hard to see what makes Zuleika Barrios and Martha Miller a great pair. Both are confident, bright, and articulate young women with a shared interest in the arts and a taste for adventure. So when Martha was honored as The Mentoring Partnership of New York’s “Corporate Mentor of the Year,” it was no surprise that the Boise, Idaho native’s first instinct was to publicly thank her mentee, Zuleika, a Junior at the School for Community Research and Learning in the Bronx.

When Zuleika was five years old, she arrived from Puerto Rico with her mother and five younger brothers. “My English was horrible!” she says, adding that she learned quickly in school and with friends. Her mother still has trouble understanding English, so Zuleika helps her as well.

Through their shared activities, Martha introduced Zuleika to a world she hadn’t experienced and has helped her overcome her shyness. Zuleika also introduced Martha to a new experience, during a memorable trip to a dance studio where the pair practiced salsa. “In my culture we salsa dance all the time,” Zuleika says. “So I felt like I was helping to teach Martha.”

Lately, the two have been working on time-management. Zuleika’s mother is in school, and since she is the oldest child, she often needs to babysit for her siblings. To help Zuleika better balance her time, Martha is helping her come up with a plan for managing her schedule.

“When I was in high school, I used to get overwhelmed with deadlines and schedules,” says Martha, an Ernst & Young employee who volunteers with the firm's mentoring program. “So one of the things we are learning together is how to make a step-by-step plan.”

“Martha helps me a lot,” Zuleika chimes in.

Zuleika hopes to improve her grades, graduate high school, and go to college to study medicine. These won’t be easy tasks, but with Martha’s support, encouragement and advice, Zuleika can make her dreams a reality.