Part of being a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters is to inspire kids and teens to achieve their full potential. Through one-on-one mentoring, a Big can impact the life of their little in so many ways. One way is to influence them to stay in school and go on to college. For high school Bigs, those choices will come sooner rather than later.

Recently, a group of Fillmore High School students from the Big Brothers Big Sisters program received the opportunity to explore their career interest in fashion by attending the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) "Debut 2012 Show".

Amelia Aparicio, the Big Brother Big Sisters Fillmore Program Manager said, “Our Big mentoring program broadens the horizon of our students by exposing them to as many education and career related activities. We are ecstatic to see their eyes open as they begin thinking more seriously about what they plan to do to better their future.”

These Big high school mentors got the chance to meet with students from FIDM and Penny Campagan, an FIDM fashion instructor. She encouraged them to pursue their passion for fashion. Last year, a dozen students participated in this same type of program and are now current students at Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles.

“It was such an awesome experience seeing how fashion comes to life on a runway,” said Teanna Ramirez, a Fillmore High School junior and mentor at Sespe Elementary. “I can’t wait until I get a chance to start my education in the fashion industry. My dreams will truly become a reality.”

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County operates a comprehensive mentoring program at local elementary schools in partnership with the Fillmore Unified School District. The program currently serves more than 200 elementary school students by providing them with a high school mentor to serve as their Big.

For more than 100 years nationally and 43 locally, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, professionally supported matches between responsible, adult volunteer mentors called Bigs and children called Littles, ages 6 through 18, in communities across the country. We develop positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of young people. Learn how you can positively impact a child’s life by visiting www.bbsvc.org.