Starfish Initiative is in the business of getting bright young kids into college, prepared to get their degree, and then to bring their knowledge and energy and value back to central Indiana. That’s our mission. Starfish is about college. Getting there. Staying there. Succeeding there. That kind of “keep your eyes on the prize” emphasis separates us from other programs.

We get this done through the primary vehicle of mentorship. Mentorship is the core, the heart of our business. We provide one-on-one mentors to ambitious teens for four years of high school to prepare them for the realities of college life. In the context of that mentoring relationship we introduce college access programming such as college visits, personality and career-affinity assessments, scholarship assistance, and funding assistance. And our mentors are successful in their work. One hundred percent of the students who complete the Starfish program graduate high school and are accepted into a college or university – 100%! We are similarly proud of our persistence rate: an extraordinary 95% of the alumni we contacted are sticking with it, still in college or attaining a degree.

Thank you for your interest in becoming a mentor to a Scholar of the Starfish Initiative! We appreciate your desire to donate your time, energy and influence.

Our mentors are college coaches preparing our Scholars to get out there, get their degree and take charge of their life. The Scholars will likely refer to them throughout their lifetime as the people who stood beside them – the people who believed in them – the people who helped them achieve their vision of success – the people who helped change their lives forever.

Starfish Mentors make a two-year commitment to their Scholar. In those two years, we ask that you and your Scholar meet just twice a month, then call, text, or email once on the “off” weeks. Not bad. A very high percentage of our Mentors ask to remain with their Scholar the second two years of high school – for the big pay off: high school graduation and college entrance!

As you review our application materials, remember that this is your opportunity to develop our next generation of leaders and achievers. There is a reason you are reading this web site today. There is a reason why one of our Scholars needs you. The reason is that you were meant to do this!

Online Application
Download Application

If you choose to complete the printed application, you may fax it to us at 317.955.7916, attention Tameka Boudaia. You can also email Tameka at tameka@starfishinitiative.org or call her at 317.955.7918.

Please call Starfish Initiative, 317.955.7912, for more information about becoming a mentor.