Brandon High School recently partnered with The Vecina Café Empowerment Center to offer a mentoring program called Pathway to Success for local high school students.
“Pathway to Success is a bridge for youth transitioning out of high school and into adulthood,” said LeAnn Flores, founder of The Vecina Café Empowerment Center. “It’s a place where they’ll find the mentorship, resources, life skills and encouragement they need to succeed, not just professionally but personally and spiritually. We’ve brought together dedicated professionals from across the country who are ready and willing to walk alongside these young adults and show them that success is not just about where you come from; it’s about where you’re going and who goes with you. This program includes field trips, workshops, networking events and scholarships.”
The Vecina Café is a local nonprofit organization dedicated to serving as a cornerstone of support and empowerment for the community. Their mission is to provide valuable resources, employment opportunities and training programs for those residing in Hillsborough County.
“We are currently raising funds to build our center in the Brandon area, which is why we wanted to partner with Brandon High School for our pilot program,” Flores said. “This will be our first year sponsored by the Tampa Kiwanis Club.”
Lauren Leto is the community school resource teacher for Brandon High School, and she is thrilled about the Pathway to Success program and the partnership with The Vecina Café Empowerment Center.
“LeAnn reached out to me by way of another community school partner, who has supported our vision at Brandon High School,” Leto said. “She asked for a meeting to explain her program, and we had her over to campus. She immediately saw the work that we were doing on campus, and we were excited to hear about this potential opportunity for our students at Brandon High School.”
Pathway to Success is a six-month program that begins at the end of high school juniors’ year, leading into their spring semester as seniors in high school (June-November), with a graduation ceremony in December where the mentees will receive scholarships from their mentors.
“To get in, students would have had to go through an application and interview process,” Flores said. “For our first year, we had the opportunity to interview 29 students, selecting only five students to join us for this launch.”
Both Flores and Leto hope that the Pathway to Success program will become a turning point in a student’s life.
“We hope students leave it feeling seen, supported and ready,” Flores said. “I want them to dream big, make informed choices and believe in their ability to succeed no matter what they’ve been through. Long-term, I hope this program becomes a pipeline to college, careers and leadership for youth in Hillsborough County and beyond, but more than anything, I just want them to know they matter.”
If you would like to learn more about the Pathway to Success program, you can visit The Vecina Café Empowerment Center at www.vecinacafe.com.
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