18 Red Bank Students Graduate College-Ready Mentorship Program

Eighteen students in Red Bank, New Jersey walked across the graduation stage this May with something extra in their pockets: two years of mentorship, life skills training, and a clear path forward.

The graduates completed the Alliance for Student Success program, a partnership between Lunch Break, Red Bank Regional High School, and The Source that pairs juniors and seniors with mentors for intensive college preparation and career exploration. This marks the fourth graduating class since the program launched.

The initiative recently changed its name from "Alliance for Success" to better reflect its focus on student achievement. Life Skills Manager Birgit Mondesir explained the update brings clarity while keeping the mission unchanged: building student confidence and opening doors to higher education.

"Our students are the epitome of resilience," Mondesir said, noting how participants balanced school with home responsibilities and personal challenges throughout the two-year journey. Many students shared emotional reflections during the ceremony, thanking mentors for relationships that changed their lives.

Red Bank Regional's Suzanne Keller reminded graduates that success isn't about perfection. "Growth happens in the detours and the setbacks and in the moments when you have to adjust and try again," she told the crowd. That resilience showed as students navigated college applications, explored career options, and developed skills they'll carry into adulthood.

The Ripple Effect

This fall, the 18 graduates will attend colleges across the country, from Brookdale Community College to the University of Pittsburgh. They're bringing their strengthened confidence and skills to campuses where they'll impact roommates, classmates, and future colleagues.

The program relies on community mentors who volunteer their time. AFSS Coordinator Ashley Newton, who joined recently, said watching students grow personally and academically over just a few months filled her with pride. "I am very excited to see the impact they will make in their schools, careers and communities," she said.

The success depends on collaboration between school staff, parents, mentors, facilitators, and sponsors who invest in young people others might overlook. Each graduate represents dozens of people who believed in their potential and showed up consistently.

The program now seeks new mentors for the next cohort of juniors who need guidance navigating the overwhelming transition from high school to whatever comes next. Anyone interested can connect with the program to help write the next chapter of student success stories in Red Bank.