Building A Safer Future Through Mentorships

By State Attorney Suzy Lopez

Prosecuting crime is our job at the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office. But preventing it, especially among our youth, is also part of our purpose. If we want to keep kids out of the criminal justice system, we as a community must provide them with tools to succeed. That is why we are expanding youth mentorship programs within our agency to ensure we remain part of the solution.

When I first became the state attorney, I launched a one-day mentorship event in my office in partnership with the Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Tampa Bay. We brought 50 middle school students to learn more about the careers available here after high school and college. It was so successful, we wanted to build something even bigger.

That single event has now grown into a full school year mentorship program through BBBS’ School-to-Work initiative. Dozens of our prosecutors and support staff will now mentor eighth grade students from Webb Middle School once a month. These students, or ‘Littles,’ come to our office to spend quality time with their mentors, or ‘Bigs.’ They start by talking about goals and exploring career paths and end up building strong relationships with our staff, who truly believe in their potential. Last school year, each student in the program was accepted into a competitive magnet or IB high school program of their choice. Some even left with a renewed interest in becoming an attorney or police officer. The program was so impactful, parents in other grade levels at Webb Middle School have been asking how they can get their children involved with our office in the future.

Studies show that mentored youth have higher self-esteem, perform better academically and are more likely to pursue higher education or vocational training. While our employees gain as much out of the experience as the students do, our community wins in the end. While my office will never back down from holding young people accountable if they commit a crime, we are also dedicated to being a part of the solution. That means showing up for our kids and building trust before problems begin. While this is just one small piece of the puzzle, I encourage everyone in the community to do their part. Become involved in one child’s life and it will pay dividends for us all.