Yes. Families, students and young adults in Greenville, Simpsonville, Greer, Mauldin, Spartanburg and across the Upstate can work with a Blackburn mentor by video. Each person meets one dedicated mentor weekly or more often, in Eastern time, with text and phone contact between sessions. Our team is based in Los Angeles, so Upstate mentoring happens online.
How the Upstate changed
Greenville used to be known for textile mills. Over the past few decades it became one of the Southeast’s manufacturing and engineering centers, with a major automaker’s plant near Greer, a global tire company’s North American headquarters, and a long list of suppliers, logistics firms and engineering offices around them. Health care, finance and a growing tech scene fill in the rest.
Downtown Greenville, with Falls Park on the Reedy River and the Swamp Rabbit Trail, has become a magnet for young professionals and new families, many relocating from larger and more expensive cities. The Blue Ridge foothills are close, summers are hot and humid, and winters are short and mild.
New in town
A lot of Upstate families arrived recently. A parent took an engineering or management job, the family bought a house in a new subdivision, and the kids started at a school where everyone else already had friends. That move can be harder on a teenager than it looks. A mentor gives them a steady person to plan with while they find their footing, and their parents a regular update.
Our guide on when a teen has no friends has practical steps for families in that stretch.
Engineering, manufacturing and young careers
The Upstate has real demand for engineers, technicians and skilled trades, and many high school students hear about those paths early through dual enrollment and technical programs. That is a gift, but it also invites pressure to choose too soon. A mentor helps a teen or young adult:
- Look honestly at what they enjoy, not just what pays well nearby.
- Talk with people who do the work, through informational interviews or job shadowing.
- Compare a four-year degree, a two-year program and an apprenticeship without bias.
- Make a step by step plan once they choose.
College students across the region
The Upstate has many colleges and universities, from small private colleges to large public universities within an easy drive, plus technical colleges with strong career programs. A mentor can work with a student through the first-year transition, a hard semester, an internship search or a decision to transfer.
Scheduling in Eastern time
Greenville is three hours ahead of Los Angeles. After-school sessions at 4 pm are 1 pm for the mentor, and evening sessions after a shift or a workday are simple to arrange. Sessions are 30 or 60 minutes, on a weekly plan billed week to week or a monthly plan.
Where a mentor helps
A mentor is a dedicated adult who helps set goals, break them into weekly steps and stay on track, with permission to share progress with family. Mentors are not tutors, therapists or admissions counselors. Teens usually start with mentoring for high school students, and young professionals with young adult mentoring. See the online mentoring page for how video sessions work.
Related
- Online mentoring by video
- Mentoring for high school students
- Young adult mentoring
- Online mentoring in Charlotte
Common questions
Do you work with families who recently moved to Greenville?
Yes. Mentoring is by video and can start any time, so it fits families who are still settling in.
Can a mentor help a student decide between engineering and a trade?
A mentor helps a student explore both, talk with people in each field and build a plan. They do not give admissions or career counseling, but can work alongside a school counselor.
Is there an office in South Carolina?
No. Our team is in Los Angeles, and in the Upstate mentoring is entirely by video, with text and phone contact between sessions.
Get started
Want to talk through what a mentor could do for someone in the Upstate? Call (888) 305 5422, email contact@blackburnmentoring.com or start with a short assessment. A member of our team reviews every assessment personally and sets up a free intro call.