Mentor and Student Highlights | Take Stock in Children Manatee
Mentor: Dr. Lou Chaykin
Students: Julian, Carrey, and Daniel
After a long and fulfilling career in medicine, Dr. Lou Chaykin has discovered a new way to change lives. He has walked alongside middle and high school students as a Take Stock in Children mentor for the past five years.
“I’m a little older and was looking for something meaningful to do locally,” Dr. Chaykin says. “My daughter encouraged me to become a mentor; she’s a third-grade teacher here in Manatee County and has been mentoring for a few years. I was hesitant at first. I wasn’t sure how well young students would respond to someone my age. But it’s turned out to be one of the most meaningful things I’ve ever done.”
Dr. Chaykin has served on Take Stock’s Board of Directors for four years and has mentored five students since he became a mentor. Three of his students have already graduated and are pursuing a four-year-degree.
“Obviously we want all of our students to finish high school,” he says, “but I like to help them think through what’s possible after that, like college or a career. A future they can be proud of. I also hope they grow into adults who give back. Maybe they’ll consider becoming mentors themselves one day.”
Dr. Chaykin knows the same qualities that made him a good physician—being present, supportive, and truly caring—also make a good mentor. And watching his students overcome family and financial struggles to attend college has been more gratifying than almost anything else.
For all the impact Dr. Chaykin has had on his mentees, they’ve also impacted him. At the end of their four years together, one of his students gave him a letter.
It’s been a wonderful four years filled with ups and downs. I’m sure there have been times when you questioned my ability to continue, but you always had an answer to every concern and pushed me forward to the end, for which I couldn’t be more grateful. From band to yearbook to dual enrollment, you helped me grow and pave my own path to success. Thanks for believing in me.
Dr. Chaykin smiles. “That one’s going in the box of things I leave for my kids one day,” he says.
