Families and young adults in McLean, Arlington, Fairfax County and Loudoun County can work with a Blackburn mentor by video. Each client is matched with one dedicated mentor, meets weekly or several times a week on a schedule set in Eastern time, and keeps in touch by text and phone between sessions. Our team is in Los Angeles, so Northern Virginia mentoring is fully online.
A region shaped by government and the people around it
Northern Virginia runs on federal work: agencies, contractors, consulting firms, the military and the businesses that serve them. That brings a lot of highly educated parents, demanding jobs and households that move. Military and foreign service families may relocate every few years, and students learn to start over at new schools more than once.
The area has also changed fast. Loudoun County went from farmland to one of the largest data center clusters in the world, and Ashburn, Leesburg and Brambleton filled with young families. Arlington and the Route 7 corridor in Tysons have become dense, transit-connected places where many young professionals rent their first apartment.
Common reasons families look for a mentor here
- A high school student in a large, competitive public school who is overwhelmed by the workload and the commute between activities.
- A teenager who just moved to Fairfax or Loudoun after a reassignment and has not found footing yet.
- A college student home for the summer or a semester without much structure.
- A recent graduate living at home while trying to break into government, contracting or the private sector.
Young adults and cleared careers
Many entry-level jobs around Washington require a security clearance or a public trust background investigation. Those processes look at a person’s history, including how they handle money and commitments. A mentor is not an expert on clearances and does not give legal advice. What a mentor can do is help a young adult build steady habits early: paying bills on time, keeping a budget, avoiding debt that piles up and showing up reliably at work. Our guides on credit score basics and budgeting for young adults cover the basics.
When federal jobs change
Recent changes in federal employment have touched a lot of Northern Virginia households, directly or through contractors. When a parent’s job is uncertain, a teenager’s plans can feel uncertain too, and a young adult who expected to follow a parent into public service may need a new plan. A mentor helps break that into steps: what to apply for this week, who to talk to, and what skills to build. See laid off, what next for adults working through it themselves.
Scheduling from the Eastern time zone
Northern Virginia is three hours ahead of Los Angeles. A 4:30 pm session after school in McLean is 1:30 pm for the mentor, and a 7:30 pm session for a professional after a commute on the Silver Line or I-66 is mid-afternoon in California. We set every session in your local time.
Where a mentor fits
A mentor is one consistent adult outside the family who keeps a weekly plan moving. Mentors are not tutors, therapists or admissions counselors, and with permission they coordinate with people already involved. Parents of teenagers usually start with mentoring for families; young adults often fit young adult mentoring. If you live in the District or Maryland, see online mentoring in Washington, DC.
Related
- Online mentoring in Washington, DC
- The first job after college
- Moving back home after college
- How mentoring works
Common questions
Do you have mentors in Northern Virginia?
Our team is based in Los Angeles. Mentoring in Northern Virginia happens by video, with text and phone contact between sessions.
We move every few years. Can the mentor stay with us?
Yes. Video sessions are scheduled in your local time anywhere in the United States, so a move does not mean starting over with someone new.
Can a mentor help with a security clearance?
No. Mentors do not give legal or clearance advice. They help young adults build steady habits with money, work and commitments, which is useful for many careers.
Are parents involved with high school students?
Always. A parent or guardian joins the intro call, helps agree the goals and receives regular progress updates.
Get started
Thinking about a mentor for someone in Northern Virginia? 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.