Keeping the Promise
Celebrating Mentors, Supporting Scholarships

When someone joins the KEYS mentor program, we ask for a one-year commitment.  What we really want, however, is for a mentor to commit

	Eduardo Reyes (left) stands with his former KEYS Mentor, Jim Burns (right). Burns mentored Reyes from junior high through high school graduation as part of the Katy ISD KEYS Mentoring program.

When he and his KEYS student first met, Eduardo Reyes attended a junior high where Jim’s wife worked.  She asked Jim to help Eduardo organize his folders, binders, locker and life!  But after a few visits, Jim quickly realized that they had connected, so he became a mentor through the KEYS program and was in it for the long haul.  Education was of great importance to Eduardo’s family, so Jim’s commitment served as yet another voice of encouragement as he entered into high school.

Jim recognized Eduardo’s gift of critical thinking and love of the spoken word and encouraged him to join the school’s debate team. And when he did, Eduardo quickly became a rising star, serving as vice-president of the school’s National Forensic League and ultimately qualifying for two national tournaments.  His debate teacher stated that Eduardo was “quite simply, the best public speaker I have ever coached.”    

Eduardo graduated from Mayde Creek High School in May 2011 and received a KEYS Scholarship.  He’s quick to point out that KEYS helped him stay on the right track during junior high, high school and now college, where he’s a student leader at the University of Houston.  And just as he’s matured, so has his relationship with Jim.  What was once a mentor/student relationship has matured into a friendship between two men who have a lasting and inseparable bond.  And Eduardo still utilizes that great filing system Jim taught him!

Since its inception in 2006, the KEYS Scholarship Fund has awarded $77,000 to graduating KEYS seniors.  KEYS – Keep Encouraging Youth toward Success – is an initiative that matches a deserving child with a caring adult.  The two meet each week on campus, during the school day, during the school year.

KEYS and KEYS Scholarships are offered by Partners in Education, the Katy ISD department that brings the community into the classroom.  Questions may be directed to Martha Brown at marthabrown@katyisd.org or (281) 396-2468.