With a little hesitation, Little Sruthy’s mother Vanathy now looks back with no regrets, and a happy heart knowing she made the best decision to enroll her daughter into the Study Buddy Program years ago. 

Vanathy and her husband struggled with English but they still wanted to provide their kids with the educational support they needed. Vanathy was not only challenged with looking for an affordable tutor at the time, but someone she could trust and be a pillar of support for her daughter.  

After searching thoroughly, one of Vanathy’s friends whose daughter was also in the program, suggested they look into Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland’s free mentorship program. Vanathy was intrigued by the idea of a supportive mentor and tutor, but still hesitant about the idea of trusting someone with her daughter. After a year of deliberate thinking, she took the first step to start the application process for the Study Buddy Program. After Sruthy was matched with her first Study Buddy mentor, Vanathy felt comfort in her decision and her doubts immediately disappeared when she met Mentor Naomi.

As a parent, Vanathy was truly grateful for Sruthy’s mentors throughout the years. What she thought was going to be 6-month tutoring relationship became a lasting support system that has impacted Sruthy for a lifetime. Even through the pandemic, in a time of uncertainty, Sruthy and her mother never lacked any support from Sruthy’s mentors and the organization.

Little Sruthy enrolled in the Study Buddy program at 8 years old where she met her first mentor Naomi. At a young age, Sruthy admired Naomi and her career as a lawyer. Throughout high school, her mentor even allowed Sruthy to job shadow her so Naomi would often take Sruthy to her office and even to court where Sruthy was able to observe Naomi’s day-to-day. Sruthy was beyond inspired by seeing how Naomi’s career involved helping others. After doing her own research, she realized her passion for the law field. She was determined to follow her mentor’s career path. Sruthy never gave up on her goals and is persistent in one day becoming a lawyer and helping others in the community.

From in person study sessions in physics and math, to online Zoom meetings with her mentor, and match dates to the aquarium, the support of Big Sisters and her mentors helped her journey through elementary and post-secondary. In June 2022, Sruthy graduated from high school and is currently attending the University of British Columbia. With the support from Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland and the Vancouver Foundation, Sruthy’s determination and potential have been awarded her as a recipient of the Bright Future Education Fund (BFEF) Scholarship. 

To the community members of Big Sisters, Sruthy wants them to know that the support system she has received has been so impactful to her and she sends her gratitude. Her mentors are now family friends and remain people who have been integral to her journey. Sruthy now looks forward to one day becoming a mentor herself in the same program that has pushed her to reach her full potential.