Sarah de Sousa | mentor | writer

mentor.

For the past decade, I've been the person families hire to help their child gain admission to X college--- but my true calling is helping young people develop a sense of meaning and purpose in their lives. In a culture impoverished of initiation rituals, we've come to accept hauling a minivan full of duffle bags and cheap decor off to the college dorm as the right of passage between childhood and adulthood. Admission to college is viewed as a system to be "gamed" rather than a process that holds intrinsic value regardless of the result. In working with hundreds of students year after year, I've learned that true mentorship is so much more than strategic planning and resume building.

Mentorship is lighting the flame of inner knowing

that will guide a young person far beyond college and into the fullest expression of his or her innate gifts. Personal narrative, which is at the heart of the college application process, holds enormous power to ignite transformation, crystalize self-knowledge, and inspire a vision of one's future. This is what keeps me coming back to my work with high school students again and again, the opportunity and honor to be a guide through these intense years of self-discovery and coming into one's own identity. After a decade of work in educational consulting, including two years as the Director of College Counseling at one of California's best high schools, I moved with my family to Portugal to realize my own vision of a rich and meaningful life. Each year, I work privately with a small group of mentees through remote one-on-one meetings to guide them into the next chapter of life beyond high school. If you are interested in becoming a mentee, please scroll down to contact.

writer.

Sarah de Sousa holds a B.A. in modern thought and literature from Stanford University and a masters in counseling psychology from Santa Clara University. She has co-authored several academic publications on topics related to mindfulness and positive psychology. Sarah is a dedicated student of contemplative practices, a published poet, competitive dancer, and educational consultant. Her academic publications include contributions to the Handbook of Mindfulness in Education and the Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology. Her poetry has appeared in 2River View, Written River, Mothers Always Write, Snapdragon, and was nominated for a 2017 Pushcart Prize.

writer.

Sarah de Sousa holds a B.A. in modern thought and literature from Stanford University and a masters in counseling psychology from Santa Clara University. As a dedicated practitioner and teacher of mindfulness, she has co-authored multiple papers on the psychological and physiological benefits of mindfulness. Her academic publications include contributions to the Handbook of Mindfulness in Education and the Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology. Sarah has also been writing poetry for the better part of three decades. Her poetry has appeared in 2River View, Written River, Mothers Always Write, Snapdragon, and was nominated for a 2017 Pushcart Prize. Her personal blog addresses topics relevant to adolescents, parents of adolescents, and those fumbling through adulthood with courage--- and the scars to prove it.