Remember being in 8th grade? Acne, hormones and the impending doom of being a freshman in high school. Project AIYME, a student-run mentoring program, provides 8th graders from San Jose with positive role models from the Stanford community to help them tackle the perils of middle school and beyond.AIYME motivates through the following activities:

* One-on-one relationships between mentees and Stanford mentors
* Quarterly weekend retreats on the Stanford campus, focusing on building trust between mentor/mentee pairs, small mentoring families, and the entire group
* Regular interaction with outings, day programs, and special events
* Promoting exploration of self-identity and building self-confidence
* Discussion and confrontation of critical issues

I was a mentor in this program for 4 years and like to think that I had an impact in motivating these 8th graders to attend college and be good model citizens, or in other words, be just like me… I always say the world would be a better place with more Kevin Wu’s ;) The other mentors will tell you that I corrupted these kids, but honestly, I still don’t see why it was so wrong to take 8th graders to frat parties. Seriously, though, AIYME is a fantastic program that gives 8th graders a little taste of college life and encourages them to think about what they want to accomplish in their future. A lot of these 8th graders are not able to relate to their parents because of cultural and generational gaps, and turn to their AIYME mentors for advice and direction. Your donation will be going to a unique organization that helps San Jose youth through an important time in their lives.

AIYME is primarily funded by Stanford University (undergraduate student groups budget) and by Stanford alumni, but could use even more financial help to give these kids an opportunity to participate in more outings to interact with their mentors. Thanks for your support.