Student Spotlight

Amos & Pat: A Unique Pair

Five years ago Amos Pittman and Patrick Lauderdale met through the Smith Barney Workplace Mentoring program. When the two were first paired together, neither one of them was expecting to find a best friend out of the program.

Amos, a struggling eight grader at the time, and Pat, a VP of wealth management at Smith Barney, joined the program for different reasons. Amos was hoping for some much needed one-on-one help with reading and homework while Pat was excited by the idea of volunteering during the work day. While they may have joined for different reasons, in the end they found one thing they had in common - a unique friendship.

"Amos is living proof that WITS works," said Pat Lauderdale. "Through the WITS programs, Amos and I were able to form a relationship that benefited us both. It is evident that just one hour of one-on-one reading a week can have a lasting, positive impact on a child's life."

Since participating in the program, Amos has graduated from the Chicago Military Academy and now attends the Citadel Military College. Now instead of helping Amos with his homework, Pat helps him with the challenges of college.

On a quarterly basis, we like to take to the opportunity to highlight special students in our programs.  If you would like to nominate a WITS student to be recognized on our website, contact Kristen Berlacher and share your story with WITS.