CMM Stories of Success

Stories of Success

Letter from Kathy Ryback Mentor for Leila Farmer


We have been together for 6 years (7th-12th grades).  She has become a confident, intelligent, and charming young woman. I expect that we will see big things out of her in the future!  It has been a joy to be a part of her life and I am grateful for the Mentoring Matters program for bringing us together.  She heads off to the University of West GA in the fall and I have no doubts that she is ready for it.  The school is a perfect fit for her and she is ready to step out on her own.  I will continue to check up on her as she is like family now.  


I am sure that you see many positive mentoring relationships.  Thank you for making this one possible.

Letter from Leila Farmer


When I met Ms. Kathy, I was in seventh grade. I was going through a pretty difficult time in my life and my mother felt that having an adult person in my life who was not someone I felt the need to censor myself around, would be good for me. We would meet every Friday morning in a back room in my schools library and we would play either rummy, or Scrabble. When I met with her, I didn't feel like I was forced to talk about anything in regards to my mental state, but I also knew that she was a "safe space" for me. 


We started becoming more like friends than a mentor/mentee relationship. After middle school, I was no longer able to meet her in the mornings. High school was a pretty large transition for me and tutoring sessions became an every week thing. But with my mother’s permission we still made plans to see each other on the weekends at my house. Now I am 18 years old, a high school graduate, and a soon to be freshman at the University of West Georgia. We still make plans to see each other and I consider her one of my best friends. She has inspired me in so many ways and I look up to her immensely. Our friendship is one that will last a lifetime. 


Leila Farmer
Share by: