Time to introduce you to Hendrix, a young man who works part-time with KAP as a mentor and full-time as someone who gives his time, energy, and care to the program. And full disclosure, I've known Hendrix and his family (Nashville-based) for many years, and you won't meet many young men who are more well-rounded and selfless than Hendrix. He has excelled at most things and on most levels for his two plus decades and he's done it by being a giving, hard-working, affable person. I'll let Hendrix tell you more about himself later. One interesting side note....Hendrix is the primary punter for WKU's football team and was a tri-captain last season which included WKU's first ever bowl appearance. Next season will be his last and should be an interesting one as coach Bobby Petrino's first at the helm and also WKU's last season in the Sun Belt (a move to Conference USA mid-2014 was announced this week).
So, KAP mentors...who are they and what do they do? Good question; let's address it. All KAP college students are assigned a mentor, and a mentor typically works with 2-3 students. From my perspective, a KAP mentor's work is on two main fronts: academic, and social/campus community. Academically, a mentor helps ensure that students are accountable (attending classes, attending weekday study tables at KAP) and seeking/receiving the resources needed to be successful learning, being organized, and completing work in timely fashion. Socially, they also work with students to ensure they are an active part of the community - both within KAP and on campus - and getting involved in opportunities that interest and benefit them. The mentors also have a personal, vested interest in learning and being effective in their roles given that many of them are pursuing educations in associated fields. As a parent, I was enthused to learn that all mentors are paid for their efforts and held to performance standards.
Hendrix, a busy college student, was kind enough to share some thoughts about being a KAP mentor. Let's hear from him.
Q: What would you like to initially share about you?
Hendrix: I am 21, born in Nashville, lived there my whole life, and went to Hillsboro High School where I played football, soccer, lacrosse, and swimming. My major is Special Education and I work with KAP on many of their activities, like Quiz Bowl. I have two sisters and a brother. I work for KAP, setup party equipment (bouncy castles, etc.) for a company in Bowling Green, and drive cars at the Kirby Auto Auction. I play football, and I don't have hobbies really but do stay busy with class work and football.
Q: How did you first learn about KAP and what led to your involvement? In what ways are you involved with KAP?
Hendrix: I first learned about KAP through a girl in one of my freshman classes whose Mom was the receptionist at the time. She found out that I enjoyed working with students with different challenges and recommended me for a job. I work at KAP during its summer camp and do some work as a mentor during the school year.
Q: In general, what are the commonalities of KAP mentors?
Hendrix: There are all sorts of students who become mentors. What mentors share in common is a friendly demeanor and a willingness to help students with whatever problems they have. The main thing is that they are friends with their mentees instead of being authority figures.
Q: How has KAP changed/grown since you first became involved with the organization?
Hendrix: I feel like KAP is continually growing in both size and popularity. They are constantly finding new ways to get students involved and it's always a positive place for students with disabilities to come for help or to just hang out.
Q: What type of impact have you seen mentoring have for students in the program?
Hendrix: Mentoring is something that I think can hugely affect students in their college lives. Mentors are there to help with academic, social, emotional, and personal problems and help the students get involved with things around campus. Mentors provide a major stepping stone for the participants to find friends around school and succeed in social settings.
Q: In what ways have you see WKU and the Bowling Green community support KAP?
Hendrix: WKU has always been great with KAP by offering its time and space for our activities as well as funding and getting the word out about what we do. Bowling Green itself is always offering opportunities for the participants to get involved outside of school and the community is always willing to support us in fund-raisers and activities.
Q: Tell us about some of your mentoring experiences. With whom have you worked and what interesting stories come to mind?
Hendrix: Some of the men I've been around include Winston, Alex, and Ryan. The successes all revolve around watching them become more social around school. Whether this is through fraternity involvement, being recognized as WKU's biggest student fan, or producing their own rap music, the mentees I have worked with all have made incredible gains in their social skills. They all have uniqueness unlike any other and that's what I love about being around them. Each and every one of the men I have gotten to know have definitely become one of my friends if nothing else.
Q: What are some of the biggest challenges being a KAP mentor? What are the biggest rewards?
Hendrix: The biggest challenge to being a mentor would probably be just making sure that your mentee is doing alright and is getting whatever work done that they need to do. Like any college student, there are times when you have to get on them for procrastinating but this is nothing out of the ordinary. Balancing your time between your mentees and yourself is sometimes challenging when you have a busy schedule as well. The rewards are too many to name but mainly seeing them achieve their goals and thrive in the university setting are the biggest ones.
Q: What do you want to do with your WKU education and how will your experience as part of KAP support that?
Hendrix: I will be looking to teach in one form or another, so whether I look for recommendations from KAP to work in a school, a life skills program, at KAP itself, or another program like it, I think the experience I have gained while being in college will be invaluable.
Q: What things would you most like people to know about KAP that might not be well-publicized?
Hendrix: I think many people would look at KAP from the outside and recognize that they are probably doing positive things to help out people with autism but I can't even begin to explain how far above other programs they are. The work they do at KAP is recognized as some of the best in the nation, but unless you are in a social circle that talks about those things you wouldn't know. They really are the best program out there in my opinion.
Q: What are some of your favorite things?
Hendrix: Football, watching all sports, good barbeque, my pet cat (Cougar), classic rock music, action movies, grilling and cooking in general, spending time with my teammates outside of football, and my teachers.
Q: What are you working to learn or improve or accomplish...in any facet of your life?
Hendrix: I want to continue to learn to work with all types of people and make them feel comfortable around me. I also am serious about becoming the best football player I can be for my last year here as well as getting the grades I need to graduate.
