Why I built this
I've been really grateful for all the mentors I've had growing up, including my older brother. Whenever I was stuck on something, whether it was a decision about classes, an application, or just figuring out what I actually wanted, there was almost always someone a few years ahead of me willing to talk it through. Not a formal program. Just people who cared enough to answer a text or grab coffee.
That kind of access shaped a lot of the decisions I've made. And the more I talked to other students around Portland, the more I realized how much of it came down to luck. Some students happen to know someone. Most don't.
The people who help you most aren't always the ones who sat in your exact classroom. Sometimes it's just someone who walked the same halls, a few years and a few blocks away.
“Guidance shouldn't depend on which high school you happen to attend.”
Portland Public Schools has cut its budget for four consecutive years, roughly $170 million altogether since 2022, and counselors and other student support positions have been part of those cuts. None of that is anyone's fault exactly, but it means fewer adults in a building whose job it is to sit down with a student and help them think something through. That gap isn't going away on its own.
The Big/Little Project is my attempt to help close some of that gap. Not by replacing counselors, but by building a way for students to reach mentors outside their own school entirely: college students, recent graduates, and young professionals who remember exactly what this stage feels like.
What The Big/Little Project actually is
In practice, that means a few things: a way to find a mentor who isn't limited to your school's alumni network, a community board where students can ask each other questions instead of only relying on adults, and a running guide to real opportunities happening around Portland right now. Events like coffee chats and panels are part of it too, but the core of it is still just people talking to people.
— Isabella Llados, Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School