The 2026 Summer Mentors program brought 13 college-age mentors together around a simple idea: strong mentoring starts with relationships. Building on three previous cohorts, this year’s program shifted beyond a STEM content focus to explore trust, connection, play, self-awareness, and what it means to show up for young people. With guidance from the Partnership for Education and Resilience (PEAR), mentors developed skills they could carry into many different youth-serving settings.
Meet Cohort 4
Growing Through Relationships
Summer Mentors 2026
Aspen Trevathan, Rawlins
Brianna Hoisington, Laramie
Cadence Fostervold, Laramie
Emma McAmis, Longmont, CO
Husanpreet Singh, Laramie
Juilanna Stewart, Glenrock
Kort Bannan, Lusk
Olivia Conner, Casper
Paxton Philipott, Burlington
Rachel Stephens, Laramie
Taryn Crookshanks, Laramie
Taylor Petersen, Evanston
Julianna's Reflection
Lighting a fire
During the August 2026 celebration and reflection session, Mentors used Legos to represent their summer experience. Julianna reflected that she built purposeful moments of calm, noticed how her energy set the tone of the room, practiced showing up steady, and trusted kids with real jobs so she could be present with them. She explained: "It lit a fire under me. Sometimes you just need someone to relight it."
