Learning Together Through Mentorships

Jean Herbert made a career of supporting adult learners before she even joined the Alray team. For over thirty years she directed Tufts University’s R.E.A.L. program (Resumed Education for Adult Learners), which supports adult learners with an interrupted education return to college. She even edited a book about the experience, called “Diversity, Resiliency, And Legacy: The Lives Of Adult Students At Tufts University.” When she retired, she knew she wanted to keep supporting the cause— so she immediately began mentoring with Alray.

As a Dean at Tufts, she noticed that students with connections to “a more experienced voice” succeeded more frequently than students who did not. Through mentoring with Alray, she’s learned that mentorship helps the mentor grow, too. “The mentor gets so much out of it,” She says. “It truly is rewarding to have a long-term relationship with somebody so admirable in pursuing their education despite obstacles.”

Jean’s supported her mentee, Edzana, through one success— she just completed her associate’s degree. “I learned as much from Edzana as she learned from me,” she says. “Although I knew about the struggle that adult students have, this one-on-one experience has been eye-opening. Edzana is a single mom, and I admire her for the perseverance she has to keep going in spite of tremendous obstacles.”