Chris and Mia first met at a Community Bridges (CB) Mentor Program outing at a local apple orchard in 2021. Since then, the pair have frequently connected — bonding over familiar spots and sights in Takoma Park. Previously working as a workers’ rights lawyer, Chris reflects on the spark Mia has brought to her life and the fulfillment she has experienced through mentorship. Now a senior in high school, Mia plans on attending Brown University this upcoming fall to study chemical engineering.

When did you meet Mia? Can you tell me about your first meetings?

I met Mia and her mom in October 2021. We originally met at a CB-sponsored visit to an apple orchard; the visit was for newly matched mentee-mentor pairs to meet in person. Thereafter, we had weekly Zoom check-in’s and occasionally met in person, primarily at outside venues. COVID restrictions had been lifted, but we felt a bit safer being outdoors. In the spring of 2022, I met Mia and her mom for an outing at Brookside Gardens. Meeting regularly, both online and in person, helped us get to know each other well and build a strong rapport.

Chris and Mia’s visit to the apple orchard with CB (2021).
Mia, Chris, and Kiyoko (Mia’s mom) at Brookside Gardens (2022).

How would you describe Mia five years ago, and how would you describe her now?

When I first met Mia, I found her to be interesting and very independent (eg. she was comfortable taking public transportation). She was fairly quiet and soft-spoken, though communication between us has always been fairly comfortable. Mia has always been an exceptional student, and I enjoyed talking with her about her schoolwork.
Today, Mia is even more interesting and interested in many things, and her independence has grown. For example, she spent a month last summer participating in an astrophysics internship at Bates College and this fall, she visited numerous colleges; in both cases, she was on her own (no high school classmates were involved in these trips). She remains a strong student and has engaged in numerous extracurricular activities and internships. And equally important, she has blossomed socially, building strong and enduring relationships with several high school classmates.

Left: Mia and Chris at the Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade with CB (2021); Right: Mia receiving the “Mentee of the Year” award (2022)

I heard that you and Mia have some special places you frequent together, such as the ACE hardware store. Can you tell me how this started?

Until this year (senior year), Mia and I routinely got together in person every month or six weeks, including during the summers. While we had many enjoyable outings, at some point we decided we could spend time together hanging out in Takoma Park (TP). Sometimes we planned these get-togethers to coincide with special events (eg. street festivals) happening in Takoma Park or Silver Spring, but gradually, we focused less on whether there was something “special” to do and more on things we most enjoyed doing while together. That generally included starting our day with lunch at our favorite TP restaurant (Olive’s Lounge and Grill), stopping in at our favorite TP stores and shops, and making one-time mini-field trips to sites Mia had heard of but hadn’t visited (like the Takoma Park-Silver Spring Food Co-op). I have always loved hardware stores, and I especially love Old Takoma ACE Hardware, so during one of our earlier Takoma Park days, I suggested that Mia and I visit the store. While there, she met and pet the store’s cat, Mr. Fred Pots. She also liked the wide variety of things the store sells, much of which is NOT hardware. ACE is across the street from Olive’s, and we began incorporating a stop at the hardware store into our after-lunch activities. Sometimes we see Mr. Pots and sometimes we don’t— though the search is fun. And the shopping there generally satisfies both Mia and me. Mia has told me she’s taken her friends to other hardware stores in the DMV and recently, she met up with two friends in Takoma Park. They had lunch at Olive’s and then visited ACE.

Mr. Fred Pots!

What’s your favorite memory with Mia?

While what I’ve come to love best are the times we just hang out and catch up in TP, my favorite memory involving an activity is the time she and I went to a UMD Women’s basketball game. The Maryland Team was awesome, and its opponent—University of Illinois—was very competitive. I knew more about basketball than Mia did, but I was really impressed by how closely she observed what was happening in the game and how quickly she zoomed in on things, like which players (on each team) were exceptionally skilled. Watching these women athletes play so well and compete so fiercely was an exhilarating experience for both of us. I was grateful that CB made that opportunity available for its girls and their mentors.

Can you tell me about the growth you’ve observed in Mia since you first met?

I feel like Mia has developed even more independence and self-confidence and has built strong and close friendships with a core group of friends.

Have you experienced any growth within yourself through mentoring with CB?

Mentoring Mia (along with having great-nieces and nephews roughly her age) has renewed my appreciation for how challenging and exciting the teenage years are. It’s so easy for people my age to become static in our views and lifestyles—but building a bond with Mia has really helped me to appreciate the importance of challenges and change over the adolescent and young adult years, while making me reflect on how important challenge and change remain throughout our lives. It has also helped me recognize the importance of meeting people where they are and building relationships from that starting point.

Chris and Mia at Senior’s night at the Visual Art Center (2026)

It’s so easy for people my age to become static in our views and lifestyles—but building a bond with Mia has really helped me to appreciate the importance of challenges and change over the adolescent and young adult years, while making me reflect on how important challenge and change remain throughout our lives. It has also helped me recognize the importance of meeting people where they are and building relationships from that starting point.

Why would you recommend mentoring?

I suspect the reasons and value of mentoring to a mentor differ among people, but for me, as one of the oldest mentors in the program, I found it refreshing to spend time again with a young person, to have the opportunity to see the world through her eyes, and to become invested not just in her present, but in her future. Mia is an exceptional girl/young woman, and I feel so fortunate to have built a relationship with her over the last five years.

What advice would you give to future mentors?

This is a harder question to answer than appears, because mentoring experiences can be so different depending on a number of circumstances beyond a mentor’s control. For example, my impression is that some CB mentors have had to navigate situations in which mentees’ parents were unable or unwilling to provide support for the mentoring relationship, or their mentees had so many responsibilities and challenges at home that it was hard for the girl to really participate. I was so fortunate that neither was a concern in my relationship with Mia. She was always responsible and engaged, and her parents were very supportive of the relationship (especially her mother, whom I met and talked with on many occasions). But in the most generic sense, my advice to prospective mentors would be to try to figure out what you hope to get from mentoring, what you are willing and able to give to the relationship, and what support you will need—e.g., from CB, the girl’s family, other mentors—to make it work. Some of this is hard to figure out at the front end but to the extent you’re able to do so, it’s worthwhile to reflect on these. I think it’s also important to remember that fundamentally, the relationship is between you and the girl you mentor and building that relationship is your priority.

I found it refreshing to spend time again with a young person, to have the opportunity to see the world through her eyes, and to become invested not just in her present, but in her future. Mia is an exceptional girl/young woman, and I feel so fortunate to have built a relationship with her over the last five years.

Written by Chris Owens, edited by Sofia Martinez

Mentor recruitment for the 2026-2027 school year is now live! Interested mentors can apply here.