Shared value in giving and receiving.
MMBay student alumnus Benton Liang is a Class of 2016 graduate of MMBay, a 2020 graduate of Harvard University, and currently a Software Engineer at Splunk. Benton is also now both a volunteer Mentor and Instructor at MMBay. Reflecting on his experience, Benton shares how our organization inspired his growth and choice to volunteer:
“Like other MMBay students, I come from a background where no one in my circle of family and friends could give me academic and career advice. My parents don’t speak English, and they definitely don’t know anything about the college process or how to look for internships. To my high school self, my MMBay mentors had “made it” - they finished college, are going through their career, and were there to help me. They became a personalized bulletin board of opportunities, and tailored these opportunities to what they understood about my strengths. My MMBay mentors were the first people in my life to provide this for me.
All of my life, I have been on the receiving end of others’ support. There is a shared value in giving and receiving. I am now back at MMBay - this time, as a Mentor. Being with MMBay keeps me grounded and honest about the state of students in my community. Further, this is how I can continue to give and receive through serving students who are just like me. There are only so many lives I can live, but through other people I give to and invest in, their lives and their dreams become and extension of my fulfillment.”
You can view Benton's speech at our most recent "School Night" fundraiser event here.