Families in Wichita and nearby towns like Derby, Maize, Haysville and Valley Center can work with a Blackburn mentor by video. Each person gets one dedicated mentor who meets with them weekly or more often, in Central time, with text and phone check-ins between sessions. Our team is based in Los Angeles, and all Wichita sessions are online.
The Air Capital and what it means for young people
Wichita calls itself the Air Capital of the World for good reason: aircraft manufacturing and its suppliers have shaped the city for about a century. That gives young people here a clear set of nearby careers in engineering, machining, aviation maintenance and skilled production, along with health care, agriculture and the service economy.
It also means that when the aviation industry has a hard year, families feel it. A mentor can help a young adult build a plan that holds up whether the local job market is hot or slow, with transferable skills and more than one path forward.
Common goals we help with
- A high school student who needs a weekly system for homework, a job and family responsibilities.
- A senior choosing between a four-year degree, a technical college, an apprenticeship or work.
- A college student who came home to Wichita and wants to finish, transfer or change direction.
- A young adult working in town who wants to save money, move out and build a career, not just hold a job.
Staying close to home on purpose
Many young people in Kansas stay near family after high school, and that can be a smart choice: lower costs, a support network and good local opportunities. The risk is drifting into whatever is easiest. A mentor helps turn staying home into a plan with milestones, such as a certification by spring, a savings goal by summer, or a promotion conversation by the end of the year. Our guide building a career without a degree covers options that do not require a four-year college.
Weather, distance and why video works
Kansas weather can be unpredictable, with spring storms, summer heat and the occasional ice day. Video sessions mean none of that cancels a meeting, and nobody spends time driving across town. Wichita is two hours ahead of Los Angeles, so a 4 pm session after school is 2 pm for the mentor.
Video also suits families spread across south-central Kansas. A student in a smaller town outside the city has the same access to a mentor as one in College Hill or Old Town, and a college student who leaves Kansas can keep the same mentor and the same weekly time. Parents of high school students join the intro call, help agree the goals and get regular progress updates, so nobody is guessing about how things are going.
Getting started
- Fill out the five-minute assessment.
- Someone on our team reads it and sets up a free intro call.
- We match the student or young adult with a mentor whose background fits.
- Sessions begin on a weekly or monthly plan, 30 or 60 minutes each.
Where a mentor helps
Mentors help with goals, routines, decisions and follow-through. They are not tutors, therapists or admissions counselors, and they can work alongside those people with permission. Young adults often fit young adult mentoring, and teens with a parent involved start with mentoring for high school students. See the online mentoring page for how sessions run.
Wichita realities for students and young adults
Outside the aircraft plants, Wichita’s economy draws on agriculture and agribusiness across south-central Kansas, health care, energy and a growing number of logistics and service jobs. Cost of living is low, so a young adult with a steady job can rent or buy earlier than in most metros, although wages often lag too. The city is laid out on a wide grid with Kellogg as its spine, and nearly everyone drives. Bigger metros are hours away, so leaving for opportunity usually means a real move.
Seasonal rhythms are strong. Wheat harvest in early summer gives rural teens hard, long workdays, spring brings tornado season, and winter winds sweep across the plains. Many students here are deciding among a technical college, a community college, a four-year program or going straight to work, and many families have a farm, a shop or a trade they hope someone will carry on.
Situations that come up often in Wichita
- A teen from a farming family outside town is unsure whether to take over the operation or try something else first.
- A young adult in a machining or aviation apprenticeship wants to know what the next five years could look like.
- A student is comparing technical college with a four-year degree and gets conflicting advice from everyone.
- Someone who left Kansas for school wants to move home without feeling like they are going backward.
- A first-time homeowner in their twenties is learning how to budget for repairs, taxes and insurance.
Wichita runs on Central time, and we schedule sessions in that zone, all by video. Meetings in person are available only in Los Angeles. Two guides that fit here: careers for people who like working with their hands and community college versus university.
Related
- Online mentoring in Kansas City
- Online mentoring in Oklahoma City
- Mentoring in Kansas
- Trade school vs. college
- Education guides for families
Common questions
Do you work with students headed into a trade or technical program?
Yes. Mentors help students compare programs, talk with people in the field and build a timeline, whatever direction they choose.
Can sessions happen in the evening after work?
Yes. Evening slots in Central time are common for young adults with daytime jobs.
Are there mentors in Wichita?
Our mentors are in Los Angeles. Wichita clients work with them by video, with text and phone contact between sessions.
Get started
Ready to talk about a mentor for someone in Wichita? 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.