From New Orleans to Washington: Son of a Saint mentees find inspiration at UDC

UDC President Ronald Mason Jr. hosted mentees from Son of a Saint, a non-profit organization in New Orleans, Louisiana, for a luncheon and campus tour on June 9. Son of a Saint was founded in 2011 by Bivian “Sonny” Lee, III, who lost his father at age three. The organization aims to transform the lives of fatherless boys through mentorship, emotional support, development of life skills, exposure to constructive experiences and the formation of positive, lasting peer-to-peer relationships.

Photo credit: Son of a Saint

“It was my pleasure and an honor to host these amazing young men on our campus,” said UDC President Ronald Mason Jr. “I was awed by their enthusiasm and keen sense of intelligence. What Son of a Saint is doing is nothing short of life-changing. This organization is making an invaluable difference in the lives of these mentees and their communities.”

It was a full-circle moment for Partnerships Manager Maddie Brenner. In 2017, she attended a guest lecture by President Mason at the School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine at Tulane University. Now five years later, she is a part of the Son of a Saint team and says President Mason’s lecture impacted her time at Tulane. Now, she’s sharing that inspiration.

“We are so grateful to President Mason and his team for going above and beyond to host an engaging and impactful visit to UDC for our young men,” says Brenner. “These types of immersive experiences are truly invaluable as our mentees begin to formulate their future aspirations and trajectories.”

The eight young men who visited, as with all the boys who are a member of Saint of a Saint, are growing up without fathers. Mentees must maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA, complete eight hours of community service each month and maintain good conduct at home, school and within the Son of a Saint organization. Each boy remains an official Son of a Saint mentee until age 18, but the connection remains until age 21. Currently, there are 201 boys in the program.

The cornerstone of Son of a Saint’s holistic program is mentorship. Mentees form trusting, long-term relationships with adult mentors and volunteers who provide, above all else, a positive example and consistent support and reinforcement. Mentors are recruited in the local community and build dedicated connections with mentees, the Son of a Saint team and their fellow mentors.

Some essential pillars of the Son of a Saint’s program include postsecondary preparation, mental health services, case management, career development, academic enrichment, nutrition education and travel, among other core elements.

“It was great learning about another historically Black university, especially one in an urban setting that can provide opportunities for the boys in our program,” says Son of a Saint Director of Programs Jeremy Davis. “HBCUs are so important because, historically, they have given underrepresented populations opportunities to advance their education and careers.”

Now that COVID-19 restrictions are easing, the organization plans to continue traveling domestically and internationally. Washington, D.C. was the first of these trips, and students were thrilled about visiting UDC’s campus and gaining first-hand knowledge from President Mason.

Son of a Saint mentee, Jared Hollins, a 17-year-old rising junior at McDonough 35 Senior High School, shared his thoughts on the lasting impression his visit to the university left: “The talk I had with President Mason about the history of the university moved me. I felt especially inspired after learning that he is from a similar background that I am from and hearing more about the challenges he overcame to become who he is today.”

For more information or to get involved, please visit www.sonofasaint.org

Photo Credits: Son of a Saint