Michael Chiariello with his two daughters

First and foremost, be open-minded and compassionate.

Michael Chiariello, an art teacher and WISE mentor at White Plains High School, believes this is the number one rule of being a great mentor. In his 11 years of being a mentor, Michael has gained a lot of insight into the mentoring process and discovered what characteristics separate a good mentor from a great one.

Michael shares a few other pieces of advice with fellow and future WISE mentors:

• Do not make assumptions about anyone or anything.
• Have patience.
• Be a good listener.
• Give constructive criticism.
• Care about the relationship you invest in your mentee.

Most years Michael mentors multiple students, working with up to 5 different mentees at one time. Three of his students have done model presentations.

“Model presenters are not necessarily the best academic students, so it’s really awesome to watch these students rise to the occasion,” said Michael. “WISE is an equalizer, putting all students in a place where they can succeed.”

Michael’s favorite WISE projects are those that give students “great life experiences.” One year, Michael lined up an opportunity for one of his mentees to intern with an Executive Producer at a TV Studio, but she only went to the internship once and ended up getting fired. With Michael’s encouragement and support, she was able to bounce back. She refocused her project on why people get fired from their jobs and, after doing a lot of research, gave a final presentation on how people can retain their jobs. Seeing his mentee “turn a bad situation into a great one” was one of Michael’s “proudest moments.”

Because of Michael’s dedication to helping his mentees succeed, he also benefits from the WISE experience in many ways. The diverse topics students explore for their WISE projects, for example, have “forced [him] to continue to learn.” Thanks to his students’ unique interests and passions, Michael constantly finds himself stepping outside his area of expertise and learning new things.

“Being a mentor has helped me become a better educator, human being, and leader,” said Michael. “The payback you can get from helping people is the greatest.”

Although mentoring is a rewarding process, it is not without its challenges.

“Occasionally I encounter students who lack commitment and drive,” said Michael. “The most challenging part of being a mentor is teaching that student passion.”

“But it is exciting to try to break through that apathy and help the student succeed,” continued Michael. “The student may not do something fantastic, but they complete it. They do more than you thought they could do—they persevere.”

From Mentee to Mentor

One reason Michael was excited to have the opportunity to be a WISE mentor at White Plains was because he was a WISE student. Torn between a communications and a visual arts career path, Michael decided to work at a TV studio during his senior year at Woodlands High School. His mentor, David Greene, supported him throughout his internship—an internship that ultimately helped Michael “decide on a career before putting all [his] eggs in one basket.” Michael chose the arts, going on to pursue his interest in classical figure drawing at the University of Buffalo after high school. Today, Michael continues to build his art portfolio when he is not teaching art to high scholars.

Just as Michael was inspired by WISE 25 years ago, Michael will continue the mentoring tradition of inspiring WISE seniors today and for years to come.