Students from Falls Church HS, Robert E. Lee HS, Langley HS, and other high schools within Fairfax County attended the annual student mentor conference on Jan. 10 in Clausen Hall.

The conference serves as a chance for mentors from across the county to get together and learn new skills as well as build relationships with other high school students.

The day consisted of three rounds of team building activities to not only build relationships, but to learn how to be a better mentor to your mentee.

“I really liked it, I thought it helped out with learning different techniques to communicate with people,” junior Beza Yoseph said.

Guest speaker Dr. John Michael Lee, Jr. Vice President of the Office of Access and Success spoke about his upbringing during his harsh childhood. With a dysfunctional family, and others doubting his success, obviously Lee proved everyone wrong.

As the conference went on, mentors got a chance to talk to the other mentors about their experiences throughout their programs.

“It was a great experience because we got to meet new people from different schools,” Falls Church High School junior Sade Gardner said. “The conference was helpful, it showed us what we need to be a great mentor.”

According to FCPS, thousands of students countywide participate in a mentoring program at their schools. AHS created the “BALA” program, or Big Atom Little Atom program. BALA pairs seniors with freshmen as they shift into high school life from middle school.

“I like BALA because I love getting to talk to the freshmen and helping them get through high school cause I remember it being scary for me freshman year,” senior Gaby Camilli said. “The fact that the little atoms are people I usually wouldn’t approach, is ironic because I became very close to my little atom.”