My name is Leonor (she her) and i am a freshman at Piedmont High School. i have been at the piedmont district since kindergarten.

My name is Yen and I’m a freshman at Piedmont High! I use she/her pronouns and I’m half Vietnamese and half Filipino. As an only child, I never had an older sibling to look up to or a younger sibling to look after. As a result, I often feel lonely when facing challenges in life. In Affinity Mentorship, look forward to learning from my upperclassmen peers and creating a space for younger kids that helps them feel supported and heard. I hope to be a shoulder to lean on for kids who feel as if they are fighting their battles alone. 

Hi! My name is Elly Mak. (she/her) I’m a second generation Asian-American. I am Taiwanese and Chinese. I’m currently a Freshman in PHS. When I was younger I went to a predominantly Asian school, before I moved to Taiwan due to Covid-19.  I lived there for 3 years before deciding to come back to the US, where then I moved to Piedmont. For those 3 years I was homeschooled, not being able to talk or know anybody. Piedmont as we know is a predominantly White community, and as someone who had just moved back from Asia, it was hard to get used to being with people again especially people that I wasn’t used to seeing. So finding out there was a community where I could spread my diversity to the next generation, where they could feel seen and welcomed was so exciting.  I’m so excited to learn and grow as a mentor with and to my mentees!

Hi, my name is Nea. I’m a freshman and a proud third-generation student — Tongan on my dad’s side and Filipina on my mom’s side. I joined this program because, after becoming part of the PHS community, I noticed that there aren’t many people who look like me, especially among the younger kids. I hope to be an advocate for those who feel too shy or scared to speak up. Growing up, I didn’t have many mentors who looked like me, so I’m proud to step into that role now — not only to support others, but also to heal my inner child. I’m excited to be part of this program, to grow and bond with the community around me, and to be the voice I never had and never knew I needed.

Hi, my name is Aava Lokre (she/her) and I am currently a freshman at Piedmont High School. I am a 2nd generation American of South Asian descent. 

I aim to help younger students see people that look like them and feel safe to be their true selves. I want to make sure that younger students have a mentor that they can trust, look up to and that makes them feel like they belong. 

When I moved to Piedmont in 6th grade,  I immediately noticed the contrast between the amount people who looked like me at Piedmont versus my old school. I struggled with feelings of being the odd one out and felt the need to fit in a way that diminished my own special individuality. 

I am so excited for the year ahead and to start my journey as an Affinity Mentor! 

I am a Freshman at PHS, and I am Indian American, When I was 7, I moved to Piedmont from Fremont, California. I didn’t see many other Indian kids in elementary school, and I felt under represented. I joined Affinity mentorship so I could teach other underrepresented people, that everyone is unique in their own way, and we should embrace that uniqueness, so we can become more confident in ourselves, and appreciate others differences.

My name is William Bleharski, I am a freshman at Piedmont high school and I am a half white - Half Japanese hapa. I was born and raised in the Bay Area my whole life, moving around from places such as San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and finally Piedmont. I had trouble making friends when I was young and if I had a mentor back then I would feel a lot better. Now, I have decided to join the affinity mentorship program so I could carry on what I wish I always had. 

I am so glad to be able to join a program like this one so I can make kids feel like they belong. I plan to stay in affinity mentorship for the next 4 years and I think it will help me a lot.

Hello!  My name is Zara and I’m a freshman at PHS. I’m a second generation Pakistani muslim and I moved to Piedmont in first grade. Growing up,  I was the only muslim (apart from my brother) at my school and didn't really have anyone to relate to or look up to.  With Piedmont being a majority non-muslim community, I’m still the only muslim in my grade, but going into middle school, I was able to connect with other muslim students at the high school and middle school. Now that I’ve joined Affinity Mentorship, I’d like to help younger muslim students who may be having the same experiences as I did growing up.

Hi! my name is Kailee and I’m a freshman at PHS. I’m a 2nd generation Indian/Taiwanese American, and I just moved to piedmont around 2 years ago. I lived in oakland for 12 years of my life. The shift between Oakland and Piedmont wasn’t as bad as i thought it would be but it was still there. Growing up i’ve always been really passionate about what i can do in my community to increase diversity. I live in a household where being different isn’t accepted, its shunned. I never knew that programs like Infinity Mentors existed. I think thats why im so passionate about this, because I want to help others we also feel left out in our community.