“Isn’t she terrific?” “She’s awesome!”

Linda Doolittle and Abigail are in a mutual admiration society of two. They both think each other is “terrific,” “awesome,” “cute,” “wise,” “mature,” and truly enjoy their mentor/mentee relationship that began in the 6th grade at Spring Woods Middle School.

Their favorite activity from the early days was working puzzles together in the mentor room.

This activity afforded them time to chat and get to know each other better each week they met. Linda, a professional educator, listened to her mentee with a “teacher’s ear” to determine the root of any of Abigail’s concerns in order to offer her best guidance.

Over the years, Linda always emphasized getting good grades as the road to success and prosperity, and pushed Abigail to excel because she “knew she was capable.” She noted, “Abigail has always been so positive, no matter what the situation, whenever facing setbacks or disappointments. She would just say, ‘I can DO this!’”

Abigail is now a senior at Spring Woods High School and preparing for life after high school. To this end, Linda has helped Abigail prepare for the SAT/ACT exams. The six years of encouragement and direction has paid off. Abigail is a very successful student in the top 6% of her class—the top 5.46% to be exact, as she has calculated it!

She is taking AP classes, working as an engineering drafting intern for Williams Energy through the high school’s co-op program, and has applied to six colleges—three of which are out of state. Linda is hoping Abigail will choose a university in a nearby state so she can go help her move into her dorm room.

“Abigail is like my ‘Houston’ granddaughter,” says Linda, since her other granddaughters live out of state. “I am so proud of her.” Linda says she has never regretted becoming a mentor, especially since she got Abigail as her mentee!

Linda tells Abigail, “I am in this for the long run. You are not getting rid of me!” She plans to be friends with Abigail even as she grows into professional woman with children of her own. Having a mentor has been a very positive experience for Abigail. One day, she hopes to become a mentor, too. She would like to thank her mentor, Linda Doolittle, for “being there for me, and not letting me fall.”