CLEVELAND — All month long, 3News and College Now Greater Cleveland are presenting our annual “Mentor Mondays” campaign, which recruits local professionals to mentor college-bound students.
Throughout April, 3News will air stories during our newscasts that highlight the impact mentors have made in their mentees’ lives. The goal of airing these stories is to inspire viewers to sign up to become a College Now mentor.
Jehlani White and his mentee Zee Sweeney are one of the pairs that viewers met during one of 3News' newscasts. They have been matched since July 2022. Both of them identify as LGBTQ+ and share a love for Asian cuisine and culture.
We recently invited White and Sweeney to our studio’s kitchen to prepare a dish called BIBIMBAP. During the cooking session, they explained what their mentorship experience has been like so far.
“It is just a blessing to see Zee grow and all the things they want to do. See them want to travel and teach English is something that I did. It brings me back, back in the day in undergrad,” said White.
Sweeney is a first-generation college student, and they say having a mentor was a blessing in disguise.
“It was a good experience to have someone who has already been through undergrad tell me their experience about undergrad,” said Sweeney.
To become a volunteer mentor, all that is required is that you have a college degree and pass a background check.
It's not a heavy time commitment – mentors check in with their mentees twice a month on an online platform system and meet up in person three times a year. We'd love to have you sign up before our Mentor Monday campaign comes to an end on April 29. Learn more by going to collegenowgc.org.
INGREDIENTS FOR BIBIMBAP (Serves 3-4 people)
MEAT AND MEAT SAUCE
• 100g / 3.5 ounces beef mince (or other cuts)
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp minced garlic
VEGETABLES AND OTHERS
• 250g (0.6 pounds) seasoned spinach
• 350g (0.8 pounds) seasoned bean sprouts
• 100g (3.5 ounces) shiitake mushroom
• 120g (4.2 ounces) carrots (1 small)
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt (1/4 tsp each will be used when cooking shiitake mushroom and carrots)
• 3 to 4 serving portions of steamed rice
• 3 or 4 eggs (depending on the serving portion)
• Some cooking oil to cook the meat, mushroom, carrots and eggs – I used rice bran oil.
• Some toasted seasoned seaweed, shredded (long thin cut)
BIBIMBAP SAUCE
• 2 Tbsp gochujang
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp sugar – Zee used raw sugar
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp roasted sesame seeds
• 1 tsp apple vinegar
• 1 tsp minced garlic