Michelle Ma Profile

At Needham High School, Michelle Ma’s home base became her mentor’s office—a safe place where she could always find a trusted adult. “With my mentor, I wasn’t afraid to hold anything back— well, most things,” says Michelle, a senior at UMass-Boston. “It was great to have an adult to connect with and to talk to about anything.”

Michelle’s family moved from Charlestown to Needham when she was entering high school so her father could be closer to his job at New Garden restaurant. “I didn’t want to be here at first,” Michelle recalls. “Although the neighborhood I used to live in was terrible, there was a lot of diversity, a lot more Asians. When I got here, there were not many minorities, and I didn’t see many Asians. I was out of my element.” Michelle describes her parents as “old-school” (they both speak Cantonese at home) and says they were unable to help her adjust to her new environment.

Michelle also felt academically uninspired. Her middle school had failed to challenge her, and she arrived at Needham High “in the zone of being lazy and comfortable,” she says.

When Michelle was invited to enroll in the mentoring program at the end of her freshman year, she accepted right away, thinking she could always back out if she didn’t like it. Michelle was matched with Felicia Fraser, a department secretary at the high school. The two would meet for lunch on half-days and for coffee in the morning, and chat during homeroom and studies. “We instantly clicked. It was a perfect match,” recalls Michelle. She relished this new relationship. “I could open up to Felicia. It was so nice not to have to watch what I said. I didn’t have to hold back or worry about anything.”

Felicia helped Michelle with a range of issues, mostly just by lending a listening ear. Michelle always knew she wanted to attend UMass-Boston and says she had a master plan for her future. She felt reassured knowing she could approach Felicia with questions, and often did. Even now, when Michelle returns to Needham to work at New Garden, she occasionally meets Felicia for lunch, and they discuss Michelle’s life and the many decisions she still faces. “I can’t imagine my life without the mentoring program,” says Michelle. “I’ve just been a happier person.”

Mentee Profile: Michelle Ma