Cervantes, a senior at Santa Clara University majoring in psychology, volunteers once a week for an hour at Willow Glen Middle School through The Role Model Program.

The Role Model Program provides positive adult mentors from all walks of life to at-risk youth in classrooms throughout Santa Clara County. The program encourages students to set goals for their futures, like attending college, putting a resume together or conducting mock interviews with a role model for their dream job. Students who might otherwise drop out of school decide to graduate after The Role Model Program, according to the organization.

The program is based on a curriculum entitled "Dare to Dream," which is designed to help children identify their role models in life, understand their unique qualities—skills and talents—and build on this knowledge to achieve success.

The program usually consists of four classroom visits by a program mentor, but to make sure she covers all the material sufficiently, Cervantes, a Willow Glen native, will visit the middle school six times during this session.

After only a few visits to the classroom, Cervantes says she relates well to many of the students, recognizing that some of the children she mentors are going through hardships similar to the ones she endured while attending Willow Glen Middle School.

"I came from a broken home, and some people didn't even think I was going to graduate from high school," she says. "The students are learning that there are people like them who succeeded."

Cervantes stresses it's OK to be better at some subjects than others and not earn straight A's, using her own math inability as an example.

"I got into one of the top universities," she says, "and I tell the students that I didn't get straight A's."

Using the "Dare to Dream" curriculum, she spent her first classroom visit helping students decide who their own role models are. The next classroom session was spent helping them realize the difference between a talent and a skill.

"I was surprised to see that many of these kids didn't put celebrities or sports stars as their role models, but instead listed a family member," Cervantes says. "By listing their role model, we want them to find a person they can look up to, and use as strength in the years to come."

Teachers contact The Role Model Program to have mentors visit classrooms for a variety of reasons. Some teachers believe a group of students may be particularly at risk. Another reason is that many schools, like Willow Glen Middle School, no longer have guidance counselors, and students are left to make important educational decisions without adult assistance, says Willow Glen Middle School teacher Anne Dunnigan.

Dunnigan wanted Cervantes to visit her classroom to target the students she sees as possessing a lot of potential, but needing the skills and vision to achieve their goals.

The Role Model Program has become part of the school's Advance Via Individual Determination elective classes—curriculum that challenges and motivates students to prepare for college and life outside the classroom. Dunnigan says that since the school doesn't have guidance counselors, these classes provide beneficial instruction to help students think about their education beyond their middle and high school years. Other classes in the elective curriculum include note-taking and study skills. Students also have the chance to visit nearby universities such as UC­Santa Cruz and Stanford University through these elective opportunities.

The Role Model Program executive director Marybeth Affleck-Nacey says that the reason teachers request a role model can vary, depending on the classroom and on the students' situation.

San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales founded the program in 1989, but Affleck-Nacey says the program didn't really get off the ground and become organized until 1994.

"Teachers usually are trying to provide students with goals for the future and career planning and get them excited about education," she says. "In many cases students are not receiving any kind of guidance."

Affleck-Nacey says that after each role model has completed a session, students, the role model and the teacher fill out evaluation forms. Over the years, she has noticed a huge increase in the number of youth who have written that they want to further their education outside of high school after completing the program. And, she says, there is trend data that also confirms this information.

Cervantes is elated to be a part of this successful program but didn't expect the imprint it would make on her own life. Cervantes already leads a hectic life, working toward the completion of her psychology degree and working part-time at Mann's Jewelers on Lincoln Avenue. Yet, she says, it is her love for children that inspired the Willow Glen Middle and High school alum to come back to her old stomping grounds.

"These kids are really inspirational to me," she says. "My mom was a huge role model for me, and I hope I can do the same for these kids."

For more information about The Role Model Program, call 408.246.0433 or visit http://www.therolemodelprogram.org. Email can also be sent to info@therolemodelprogram.org.