May 26, 2026
"It's Pretty Fun, Actually"
Liliana’s journey to school success
On a sunny afternoon at the Midland Library in Portland, one of our program youth, Liliana*, stopped to pick up a dandelion and make a wish.
"This is my favorite thing to do," she announced, bringing it to her lips.
Liliana is in third grade and loves being outside, playing with friends, making things with her hands, and going to the park. She has been paired with her mentor, Tosha, for 3 years. When asked what she likes to do with Tosha, Liliana said, “We do lots of things together! Making slime, going to the park, imagination station, going to playdate PDX.”
When Liliana and Tosha started working together, Liliana was struggling in school. She was a few levels behind in reading and writing, which made her less excited to go to school or do other activities where reading would be involved. To help Liliana catch up, Tosha partnered with the School Success team at FriendsPDX and Liliana’s mom to find the right support for her.
For the last year, Liliana has been attending tutoring regularly, where she has been building her reading and writing skills with tutors she's grown to trust and respect. Liliana’s reading goal is to be able to read the Junie B. Jones series on her own, which is just a little bit too advanced for her right now, but not for long! When Tosha told her, "I know you will be able to read that one soon for sure," Liliana nodded in agreement, showing her confidence in her ability to keep learning and progressing.
Now she talks about school the way kids talk about a place they really want to be. "It's pretty fun, actually," she said. "There are a lot of new things to do, like different things I've never learned before." She mentioned with particular pride that her class has started doing third-grade addition.
When asked what used to feel hard that feels easier now, Liliana said, “Writing my name.” She mentioned, briefly, a teacher who used to guide her hand to form the letters, which she didn’t like. With tutoring, she’s been given the space to practice, make mistakes on her own, and build a love for learning.
A huge part of the role of a FriendsPDX mentor is showing up at school and being physically present in the classroom with kids. Tosha has been a steady presence inside and outside of the classroom to support Liliana’s learning and development, both academically and personally.
When asked what her favorite thing about Friends of the Children is, Liliana said: "I love going to Rockwood to play and spend time with Tosha and to make slime." Beyond the educational milestones Liliana has achieved, these early years at FriendsPDX for her are about spending time with her Friend, doing the things they love to do together – which is just what childhood should be.
*Names of youth have been changed for privacy.