NAWBO-SA’s High School Mentorship Program
By Blithe Wiley | Photography by Suzanne Pack
The National Association of Women Business Owners San Antonio chapter was established in 1997. Since its formation, it has been recognized as one of the leading chapters in the nation. Central to NAWBO-SA’s mission is the focus on helping advance women in their quest to own their own businesses, regardless of what career stage they may be in.
The NAWBO-SA Foundation is a volunteer organization within the NAWBO-SA Chapter, with members who dedicate their passion, time, and resources to support this program. Through a collaborative effort among NAWBO-SA members, school representatives and administrators, and university and corporate sponsors, the High School Mentorship Program (HSMP) reaches hundreds of high school girls across San Antonio. Today, 12 NAWBO-SA members mentor 100 girls in 10 participating schools.
The NAWBO-SA Foundation’s current President, Nancy Hernandez-Johnson, has been involved with the organization since 2018. She is the co-founding owner and CEO of AV Calibrations, LLC. “As soon as I learned about the Foundation, I wanted to get involved,” Hernandez-Johnson said. “I knew I wanted to give back to these young women because the support we give them is so important and appreciated.
“Our High School Mentorship Program is such a wonderful resource for these young women,” Hernandez-Johnson continued. “They get one-on-one mentoring with our members and are encouraged and given the tools to develop an entrepreneurial business idea and plan. The students are also invited to attend four of our sponsored events – three university conferences held at local universities and a fourth event in which they present their business plan to our members for a final review and additional pointers on the plan. The five students whose business plans are selected as the best are each awarded a college scholarship ranging from $2,500 to $10,000.”
Carrie Gray is the owner of Cielo Strategy Group, a consulting firm specializing in working with non-profit organizations on organizational development and strategic planning. She joined NAWBO-SA in 2021 and is currently President-Elect of the NAWBO-SA Foundation.
“When I first became involved as a NAWBO mentor, I had a real ‘ah-ha’ moment when I attended the event where we awarded the scholarship checks,” Gray said. “I realized we are developing the next generation of women entrepreneurs. With the mentoring program, we get to see all these young women have to offer and be a part of this.”
Gray noted she gets much more out of the mentoring experience than the mentees do. “It is so rewarding to work with these girls to help them develop and refine their business plans. I never had an opportunity like this when I was younger, and I love being involved with creating these opportunities for them. We’ll know we’ve succeeded in our mentoring efforts when we see our mentees become mentors themselves to the next generation of young women.”
Yvette Allen is the Past President of the NAWBO-SA Foundation. She has worked as a REALTOR since 2006 and is the owner of Real Estate 210, a brokerage and property management company. She quickly became involved in the group’s HSMP. “A week after I joined NAWBO-SA, I was asked to be a mentor at Lee High School. I immediately thought, ‘Wow, I wish I’d been exposed to something like this in high school.’ What’s more, this program is such a great way for women business owners to give back to our community.”
Allen noted that the mentees get so many benefits from the mentorship program. “At our university conferences, we ensure these girls get to meet other NAWBO members and girls from other high schools. We give them a little push to get out of their comfort zone.”
Allen emphasized that one of the mentors’ most important impact is the encouragement they give the mentees. “Many of these girls have never been told they can go to college or own a business. We encourage the mentees that, ‘Yes, you CAN do something hard and achieve success – and you will get a lot of support from us and others.’ This realization is so powerful for them.”
Hernandez-Johnson noted that all of the mentors are passionate about the roles they play in the HSMP. “We try to instill in these young women what we wished we’d heard when we were their age. We share our experiences and skills with them. She concluded that we get so much satisfaction from helping the next generation of businesswomen succeed by giving them a head start,” she concluded.
For more information about NAWBO San Antonio, visit nawbosa.org or email info@nawbosa.org.
