As college students, it’s often all too easy to get caught up in one’s own life, forgetting that there lies a future generation trailing not too far behind. While many college students may not have the financial means to make large monetary investments to local elementary and middle school programs, there’s one way to give back to the next generation that can be far more impactful — sharing the gift of knowledge.

The College Mentors for Kids program is a national program dedicated to pairing college students with young children. In the program, college students mentor the child they’re paired with — their “buddy” — to help build brighter futures for the children they serve. Starting at Indiana University Bloomington, the organization has expanded nationally with chapters spreading throughout the United States.

The idea that kids are the future may seem oversimplified, but remains true. NC State’s College Mentors for Kids chapter is making sure that local children are exposed to the benefits that a higher education provides, at the earliest possible opportunity — as wee elementary students.

At one of the organization’s typical meetings, college students cannot help but feel inspired by their peers, whose profound initiative for helping children is especially admirable.

At the meetings, people of all genders, races and distinct backgrounds came together in one place to impart knowledge of the opportunities within higher education and to commit to spending time with their buddies.

The organization’s chapter here at NC State stemmed from one particular college student’s desire to see children succeed in life. NC State’s College Mentors for Kids chapter founder and current president Caroline Eberhardt, a fourth-year studying biological sciences, saw that there was something missing here at NC State, so she dedicated herself to filling the gap. Working at W.E. Skelton 4-H Educational Conference Center, an academic camp in Virginia, helped make Eberhardt the perfect candidate to start the program.

“I worked on staff at 4-H for seven years,” Eberhardt said. “When I came to NC State, I noticed it did not seem enough to just tutor kids. I reached out to the national office with a mission to bring in kids from a 5-mile radius to NC State to show them what college potentially has to offer, and to broaden their horizons.”

The chapter started from very humble beginnings in fall 2016. The chapter had many resources, except for transportation — so they had to delay mentorship. Then, in January 2017, the group started up again with 33 little buddies, 33 mentors and 12 executive staff members. From that point in time, the chapter has earned accolades such as New Chapter of the Year, along with two mentors winning Outstanding Mentor of the Year awards.

There are currently 80 mentors in the organization, who are paired with 80 little buddies. With 17 executives, College Mentors for Kids has expanded 245 percent from the previous year.

Another element worth mentioning is that the mentorship does not only benefit the mentee, but also the mentors themselves. Madison Tobin, the club’s vice president of finances, is a prime example. After meeting Eberhardt at a sailing club meeting and hearing of the mentorship program, Tobin decided to get involved.

“I always loved kids, and I was super excited to meet the kids but I did not know how it would impact me,” Tobin said. “When I would see my little buddy Christopher my whole week would just be better…. He was super talkative and sassy, and I knew our personalities would work well. There wasn’t any challenge but the conversations just flowed, and I felt really blessed at the opportunity just to work with him.”

College Mentors for Kids executives also benefit from the program, as noted by the organization’s general manager, Alexis Bell, who had to rise above a low-income background herself.

“I like to work with marginalized groups, and children need the most mentorship because they have the biggest room for growth and they might not have as many resources as affluent people do,” Bell said.

Overall, College Mentors for Kids is a organization full of dedicated individuals striving to offer the best mentorship possible to their little buddies. For Eberhardt, creating NC State’s chapter into such an inspiring program has been a worthwhile journey.

 “It means everything to me,” Eberhardt said. “It’s my little baby.”