Cynthia and Markeya: A Perfect Match

     Recently, Cynthia Blocksom and her friend Markeya spent a warm summer afternoon enjoying the Cincinnati Reds Civil Rights game and catching up on happenings from the previous year. Although Cynthia is married with a daughter and has a full-time job, and Markeya has just finished her freshman year at Wright State University, the seemingly odd pair has a special bond. Cynthia and Markeya are the perfect example of how two people create a lifelong relationship and enjoy the numerous benefits of a Cincinnati Youth Collaborative mentoring program.

     Markeya and Cynthia were matched in the fall of 2006 when Markeya was 15 years old and a sophomore in high school. Cynthia originally had hesitations about the match: would this young girl enjoy being mentored by a white, middle class, middle-aged, married dietician? She soon found Markeya to possess an “outgoing personality” and quickly showed Cynthia that she was proud to have her as a mentor. “I was really excited to meet her,” Markeya said.

     Markeya displayed pride when introducing Cynthia to her friends. “Our relationship is like no other relationship I have ever had. I feel so fortunate to have been matched with Markeya because she is an extraordinary young woman,” Cynthia said.

     Cynthia and Markeya value their relationship and the things they gained from it. Cynthia was able to teach Markeya a few things about exotic foods, an area she was unfamiliar with. Cynthia took Markeya to Jungle Jim’s, a specialty food store, during National Nutrition month and bought her several fruits and vegetables to try. “I loved it,” Markeya said about their visit. “I love food, and she really knew how to hit my heart.”

     After getting to know one another a little better, Markeya became somewhat of a mentor herself, helping Cynthia in areas which she lacked. “Markeya has a gift for map directions whereas I am so directionally challenged that I am frequently lost, even with the help of a GPS,” Cynthia said. Markeya would often laugh at Cynthia’s below average sense of direction.

     Although they had many good times together, Cynthia and Markeya’s relationship was faced with challenges as well. Markeya’s situation put her at risk for not graduating from high school. “She got copies of my report card and if I was getting Cs, she told me I needed to step it up,” recalls Markeya. Despite unfavorable circumstances, Markeya still pushed through to become a successful young woman entering college. This made Cynthia question her own family’s ability to persevere if faced with a similar situation. “She deserves an enormous amount of credit because she is making a success of herself despite it all,” Cynthia noted.

     Now that Markeya is in college, she and Cynthia still keep in touch often and see each other during her breaks from school. They text and e-mail each other frequently. Cynthia predicts Markeya will have a very successful future, and that they will stay friends for years to come.

     “I believe I gained a friend, not just a mentor. I gained trust. Without Cynthia, I probably would be doing nothing, having nobody to keep in touch with. I don’t have very many people I keep in touch with like her,” Markeya said.

Photo: Markeya and friend Aisa at a Reds Civil Rights game