“A loving mentor changed my son’s life!”
When the local elementary school was looking for a mentor for a student who had been acting out, high school senior and basketball star Izaiah Day eagerly signed on. The result was a game changer!
The counselors at Middleton, Ohio’s Creekview Elementary school are dedicated to helping each student be the best they can be. And 10-year-old Bri’dyn Buchanan’s counselor knew he had so much potential. But after losing his father in 2022, he started acting out. Not willing to let Bri’dyn fall through the cracks, she called the local high school.
“We have a student who isn’t a bad kid. But he’s struggling, going through some stuff in life. He needs some help and guidance,” she explained, and asked if perhaps one of their students could mentor Bri’dyn.
“I know just the guy!” basketball coach Kelven Moss said, and reached out to Izaiah Day, a senior who was a star player.
I was a lot like that boy, Izaiah thought, recalling his own younger days as an angry kid who would lash out at school.
I want to guide and help him.
“I’m all over it, coach!” Izaiah eagerly signed on.
Izaiah began going to Bri’dyn’s school after his own day ended at least once a week to spend up to an hour with the younger boy. Izaiah was busy with school, basketball and his part-time job at a grocery store, but he prioritized his sessions with Bri’dyn.
The t wo would meet in the counselor’s off ice. Izaiah would choose a theme word—like respect, self-control, kindness— for each visit, and discuss with Bri’dyn what that word means, and give examples of situations that call for the character trait. While they talked, they’d shoot baskets, using the miniature hoop the counselor had in her off ice. Bri’dyn would share about his day and, as they grew closer, how he was feeling.
Izaiah fondly remembers one afternoon when, as he left, he overheard his young friend talking to the counselor.
“I love every time he comes up here and hangs out with me!” Bri’dyn told her.
“It was so heartwarming,” Izaiah shares. “I lit up inside.”
Izaiah, now 18, is in college in Indiana at Taylor University, where he got a full-ride scholarship and plays on the Trojans basketball team. But he keeps in touch with Bri’dyn through a family member, and Izaiah passes on messages of encouragement and advice. He looks for ward to visiting Bri’dyn during school breaks.
Meanwhile, Bri’dyn’s mother, Willette Adams, and his teachers, marvel at how much the now 11-year-old has improved. Bri’dyn’s grades are A-plus, and his mom no longer receives calls from the school about bad behavior.
“I am so grateful to Izaiah,” Willette says. “I really appreciate his taking the time out as a young adult to help my son. He has changed Bri’dyn’s life.”