“Having a sister is like having a best friend you can’t get rid of. You know whatever you do, they’ll still be there,” Amy Li said. For the Sister to Sister program at FC, the older sisters are to be mentors and supporters for the younger sisters, hoping to spark a friendship between the two.
Sister to Sister, like Brother to Brother, is a program where junior and senior girls are able to minister and guide junior high girls through their life and create an opportunity for girls to gain a leadership figure to rely on. Assisting to their growing friendship, the girls are able to meet twice a month to eat either on or off-campus for lunch.
Sister to Sister advisor, Hallie Rojeski started the program 3-4 years ago, aspiring that the junior high girls would benefit from receiving advice and guidance from the upperclassmen.
“The main purpose of Sister to Sister is to match a high school student with a junior high student for the purpose of creating a friendship and mentoring opportunities,” Rojeski said. “Mrs. [Molly] Sargent started a program called Peer Counseling 8-10 years ago and then it was handed down to Mrs. [Natalie] Dowdy but then it faded out. That was around the time when I started Sister to Sister 3-4 years ago.”
Joining Sister to Sister for the first year, junior Ashley Garcia hopes to make an impression, not only her own little sister, but also to the other junior high girls.
“I want to just be able to bond with all the seventh graders and be an example to them by telling them my story and maybe they can learn something from me,” Garcia said. “I joined Sister to Sister this year to meet new people and be a role model. I’m looking forward to building a relationship with my little sister and hopefully make a new best friend.”
First time little sister, eight grader Macie Thompson, enjoys getting this experience because of its opportunity to meet new high schoolers and make a relationship with her older sister.
“I joined Sister to Sister because I thought it would be fun,” Thompson said. “I am excited to meet high schoolers and going off campus for lunch. I really like my “older sister” because she is a lot like me.”
Repeating older sister Elora Hargis, ’14, decided to continue with the program because of its influence on the younger sisters’ lives. Looking back to the time that Hargis was a younger sister, she remembered the impact her own older sister had on her life.
“I joined Sister to Sister again because I thought it was important to make an impact in the younger kids in this school lives’ especially the girls. When I was in Sister to Sister as an eighth grader, I looked up to my older sister and I want to, in turn, be the same to my sister.”
Not only does Sister to Sister provide an positive experience for both sisters but it also benefits the moral and social character for the older sister. Because of this program, Hargis strives to become a person of integrity.
“It [Sister to Sister] pushes you to get out of your comfort zone and it holds you to another level of accountability and in all aspects, it makes you want to become a better person; makes you want to become a better person for somebody else,” Hargis said. “I want to be somebody who is looked up to, I want to be someone who is a good leader and that’s what has helped me in the process of becoming that person.”
Seventh grader, Maicy Luginbill, joins Sister to Sister for the second year, hoping it will have the same effect that it had last year. Despite getting a new older sister, Hargis, this year, Luginbill continues to enjoy the program.
“I joined Sister to Sister this year because I wanted to get to know more high schoolers,” Luginbill said. “My favorite part about the program is being about to go off-campus for lunch and just spend time with my “older sister.”
This writer can be reached via Twitter: @kaitie_king5. Follow The Feather via Twitter: @thefeather.
For more features, read the Oct. 29 article, Fall festivities: Join the discussion.
