Sarah McGill was made to be a mentor.

Just ask former Girls Inc. of Metro Denver programs Intern, Yaneth Vazquez, who met Sarah when she began working at Girls Inc. during her junior year of high school, at the same time Sarah joined the organization as Director of College and Alumni Programs.

“At the time, I wasn’t doing very well in school,” Yaneth shared with us. “As I progressed through school, applying to college was stressful. But Sarah never missed reaching out to me to let me know about upcoming events that would help me. Sarah never gave up on me.”

And, thanks to Sarah’s passion and dedication for mentorship, Yaneth has gone from intern to Center Educator for Girls Inc., proving how Sarah’s belief in Yaneth has created yet another dynamic, powerful addition to the Girls Inc. of Metro Denver team.

“I am beyond grateful for Sarah,” Yaneth told us with a smile. “She continues to be someone I look up to.”

Sarah, who has fearlessly led teen programming at Girls Inc. for the last five and a half years, spearheaded the creation of a mentoring program after girls began requesting it. Last year, she piloted the program to include staff and intern mentors to support girls on their journey of self-discovery, including small group mentoring to support more girls at once.

Even though she had already been mentoring for a while without the mentoring program, Sarah continues to find the most joy in being a mentor for the relationship building aspect – but notes that all mentees are different and require different needs.

“Some students are super engaged and like the goal orientation, some like the relationship-based aspects of it,” she explained. “What’s cool is seeing how the relationship grows over time and seeing a girl evolve into their own person.”

As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Sarah has found one of the most transferable skills she’s used time and time again as a mentor has been motivational interviewing. Motivational interviewing helps an individual understand the motives behind their behaviors and increases the motivation and interest to change.

“I like to support our girls by helping them create a roadmap that is goal related, and asking them questions like, ‘Where are you now and where do you want to be?’ I’m not diagnosing them or making a management plan. I’m simply helping them reach their goals, which can often shift when you’re working with youth,” Sarah informed us.

And the flexibility that mentoring creates has provided Sarah with more room to help girls in high-impact, meaningful ways – even when hard stuff happens.

But in addition to seeing their growth, celebrating their successes, and hearing about the great things her mentees are involved in, Sarah has learned quite a bit from her mentee that has helped her in more ways than one. She cited how much she enjoys learning the ‘slang’ of today’s teens, social media trends, and a wealth of information about colleges and what they offer students.

“It helps me do my job better,” she told us. “Just simply staying curious, having a willingness to listen, and the ability to be encouraging can go a long way.”

As for Sarah’s mentor?

“Lots of people mentor me in different ways,” she concluded. “So many people being in this field inspire me about the ways they serve others. I like learning and getting specific advice from folks, and I ask myself how I can stay motivated and keep things fresh both professionally and from a self-care perspective.”

Girls Inc. of Metro Denver’s mentoring program might be reserved for staff (for now), but when you become a volunteer for the organization, you can become an unofficial mentor to girls of all ages.

Learn more about how you can plug in to Girls Inc. of Metro Denver by clicking here.