Andrea Gonzalez Profile

Andrea Gonzalez did not share her classmates’ excitement as winter break approached. She felt only dread about the interruption of her junior year. Soon, she would fly by herself to Guatemala City to resolve immigration issues, which her lawyer said could take a year. “Thinking about leaving school and not knowing when I could come back was stressful,” Andrea said. “When the day I had to leave was getting closer, I would break down and cry. And then I would go look for Jen and she would make me feel better.”

Andrea feared that her immigration problems would thwart her ambitions to be a nurse and the first in her family to graduate from college. As her mentor, Spanish teacher Jennifer Lopez encouraged and consoled Andrea when she was most vulnerable. Spanish was a bond, but more important was Ms. Lopez’s reliable, caring presence. “I want to be someone in life, and I was worried about graduating with my class,” Andrea said. “I’d go to her and she’d tell me everything would be fine.

And it was. During the four and half months she lived in Guatemala with her grandmother and brother, Andrea kept up with schoolwork through online classes and used Skype and Face Time to stay connected to Ms. Lopez. After she earned resident status, she returned May 6 to complete her junior year with her classmates. Others noticed her achievements. The Needham Women’s Club awarded her a scholarship, and The Needham Exchange Club gave her the ACE Award (Accepting the Challenge of Excellence). “It felt really good to get these awards,” said Andrea, 20, now studying at Mass Bay and working at McDonald’s and babysitting.

Although she knew she wanted to go to college, she felt overwhelmed by the application process. Her immigrant parents did not know how to help her, so she reached out to Ms. Lopez. “Applying to college was frustrating and confusing and I felt like giving up,” Andrea said. “Jen helped me a little bit with everything.” Now comfortable at Needham High, she recalled feeling out of place when she entered as a sophomore. Since coming to the United States at age 8, she had attended schools in Randolph, Florida and Rhode Island. “It was a culture shock, because Needham was totally different than the other places I lived,” said Andrea, one of the few Hispanic immigrants at the high school. “They took education more seriously here. I felt a little like on the outside.”

She feels lucky that Ms. Lopez was her Spanish teacher during her first year at Needham High, when she became an informal mentor. Ms. Lopez not only helped Andrea learn to read and write in Spanish, but she was sensitive to Andrea's challenges as an immigrant. “We started talking, and we used to hang out after school,” Andrea said. “She met my parents, and she told me about the (Steps to Success) program.”

Although Andrea no longer needs a mentor, her relationship with Ms. Lopez continues to be important to her. “Sometimes we go out to dinner and sometimes I take care of her daughters,” Andrea said. “She’s like a friend.”

Mentee Profile: Andrea Gonzalez