Anyone can be a mentor at anytime

Two Fort Belvoir Elementary School classes were visited Jan. 22 by Col. Jerry Blixt, installation commander; and Command Sgt. Maj. Allison Smith, installation command sergeant major. Their visit was part of a community relations outreach activity celebrating mentorship month.

To Bonita Carr's sixth-grade class, Blixt said, "Nobody is as important to us as you are, and that's a true statement. This is the highlight of my day to come here and see you, to spend time with you."

Smith pumped up the class with a name game, giving the students an opportunity to introduce themselves. She then asked the students, "Can anyone tell me what a mentor is?"

After a few replies from the class, Blixt said, "No matter how old you are, everyone is a leader. Because every time you walk somewhere, every time you do something, you are a leader. Even here at school, the first-graders, second-graders and third-graders look up to you guys. You are setting an example, someone always sees you."

Earlier in the week, each student from Kristin Hoffman's fifth-grade class and Carr's class were asked to prepare a question for Blixt. "I really appreciate all of the questions, some of them were very, very good," Blixt said.

Sixth-grader Elijah Moore made the colonel smile by asking him if work got in the way of his social life. "I really appreciated that question. It made me laugh," said Blixt.

Sarah Lema asked Blixt what it took to be a base commander. "Determination. People sometimes think they are born to do something or are destined to do something. Even though you may not be born into a position, those people who have the determination to succeed are the ones who are going to successful. You may not be the fastest runner, you may not be the best reader, but, if you have determination, you can accomplish anything," Blixt told the students.

Before answering questions in Hoffman's class, Smith read a book titled "Once Upon A Time." by Niki Daly. The book was about classmates who giggle when the main character tries to read aloud. "Even when it's not popular, try to do the right thing. Also, the character is struggling to overcome something, just know you can overcome any struggle in your life, as well," Smith said.

After the reading, the students asked their questions. One student asked what exactly a base commander does. "As a commander of the installation, you have ultimate responsibility for everything that takes place on the installation every day," said Blixt. When asked what it was like to be a base commander Blixt replied, "It is a tremendous honor to be a commander, it's never a burden." Other questions ranged from educational to professional to encourage open discussion with Blixt about being a mentor.
Blixt and Smith left the students with the message to be good, do good things, and that anyone can be a mentor at anytime.

National Mentoring Month is spearheaded by the Harvard Mentoring Project of the Harvard School of Public Health. Fort Belvoir celebrates mentorship month by assisting with Job Shadow Day Feb. 5.