Yes. Families and young adults anywhere in Pennsylvania, from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to the small towns of the northern tier, can work with one dedicated Blackburn mentor by video. Sessions are scheduled in Eastern time, three hours ahead of our Los Angeles team, with text and phone check-ins between them.
Bookended by two big cities
Pennsylvania has a large metro at each end and a lot of country in between. Philadelphia and its suburbs fill the southeast. Pittsburgh anchors the west where three rivers meet. In the middle are Harrisburg, Lancaster, York, Reading, the Lehigh Valley, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, State College and Erie on the lake, with long Appalachian ridges, farmland and forest separating them.
Crossing the state takes the better part of a day by car. For many families, especially in rural central and northern counties, a consistent local mentor is hard to find. Video makes the distance irrelevant.
What Pennsylvania runs on
- Eds and meds: universities and hospital systems are among the biggest employers in both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
- Life sciences: pharmaceutical and biotech companies cluster in the Philadelphia suburbs.
- Technology and robotics: Pittsburgh has rebuilt much of its economy around research, software and autonomous systems.
- Manufacturing and logistics: still strong across the state, with large distribution centers in the Lehigh Valley and along major highways.
- Energy: natural gas from the Marcellus Shale in the north and west.
- Agriculture: dairy, farms in Lancaster County and mushroom growing in Chester County.
Schools and colleges without the name-dropping
Pennsylvania has hundreds of local school districts, often one per town or township, which means quality and expectations can vary a lot from one place to the next. The Philadelphia area has a deep tradition of independent and Quaker schools. For college, the state has a system of state-owned universities, several large state-related research universities, community colleges in most regions, and one of the largest concentrations of private colleges in the country.
So many colleges means many students come to Pennsylvania from other states. Plenty of Pennsylvania students also leave, often for New York, New England, the mid-Atlantic or the South.
Where a mentor fits in Pennsylvania
Parents of high schoolers
Often in competitive suburban districts or independent schools, looking for an outside adult to help with planning and motivation. A parent joins the intro call and gets regular updates. See mentoring for high school students.
College students
On campuses in the state or elsewhere, needing structure in the first year or after a rough semester. See mentoring for college students.
Young adults and professionals
Starting careers in health care, pharma, tech or the trades, or living at home while they decide what is next. See young adult mentoring.
Pages for areas in Pennsylvania
How it works from Pennsylvania
Sessions are 30 or 60 minutes, weekly or several times a week, on a weekly or monthly plan. A 4 pm session in Pittsburgh is 1 pm for the mentor, and evening slots work well for professionals. Parents can read more on mentoring for families; our online mentoring page covers the details, and mentoring by state lists other states.
Related
- Online mentoring in Philadelphia
- Online mentoring in Pittsburgh
- Online mentoring in Ohio
- Online mentoring in New Jersey
Common questions
Which time zone do Pennsylvania sessions use?
Eastern time, across the whole state. That is three hours ahead of Los Angeles, so after-school and evening sessions are easy to schedule.
Do you work with families in rural Pennsylvania?
Yes. Clients anywhere in the state, including small towns far from Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, work with their mentor by video.
My child is at college in Pennsylvania but we live elsewhere. Can you help?
Yes. The mentor meets the student by video on campus, and with permission keeps parents updated wherever they live.
Are mentors tutors?
No. Mentors help with goals, planning and follow-through, and can coordinate with a tutor a family already uses.
Get started
Would it help to talk about someone in Pennsylvania? 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.