Gilberto Chaidez sat comfortably and calmly at a Denny's diner in Aurora showing little to no signs of nervousness or anxiety concerning an upcoming six-month trip across the Atlantic Ocean he would embark on the following day. Next to a plate of half-eaten mashed potatoes that came with his dinner was a world globe he received that evening from four young school-aged Latino boys and the sharply dressed director of a locally founded mentoring organization called Boys II Men.

Picking up the globe in his hand, he looked at a phrase inscribed on its wooden base and read out loud, "Gilberto Chaidez. Around you are boundless opportunities." The gift and the dinner were both part of a warm send-off from friends, brothers and young scholars he has mentored and influenced wishing him good luck as he prepares to experience his latest academic challenge - to successfully complete a semester of study abroad in Spain.

Chaidez, who is characterized by the subdued and modest demeanor of his walk and stance (features that are oddly contrasted by the energetic hand motions he uses as he speaks) has been a member, youth mentor and scholar within Boys II Men in Aurora since high school.

A brotherhood

Boys II Men is a youth organization and service brotherhood dedicated to transforming boys into phenomenal young men through positive achievements, mentoring relationships and the breaking down of stereotype barriers. The organization is the brainchild of its current director, Clayton Muhammad, who is also the spokesman for East Aurora School District 131.

"It was conceived from a fraternal idea. I joined my particular fraternity looking up at men like Dr. King and Thurgood Marshall. I wanted to connect with something bigger than me, to be of service to the community and to have a brotherhood and someone to reach out to," says Muhammad moments after being warmly approached and hugged, during dinner with Chaidez and the boys by a random passer-by who recognized him as a member of his college fraternity. "We would never have communicated had I not been wearing my pin," he says pointing to a fraternity pin on his lapel.

Juan De la Torre, another longtime member of B2M, as it is more commonly referred to, and a friend to Chaidez, recognizes the need for changing negative Latino stereotypes. "When people look at you just working they think of you as a typical Latino, but when you put yourself in a different place then people start looking at you differently," said De la Torre, who has undergone a significant transformation since his first encounter with B2M.

De la Torre had been a homeless youth battling with abuse, coping with the death of his brother who served in Iraq and lacking positive guidance and role models in his life. He remembers how he used to not care about the way he dressed or the image he portrayed to the community. Now he is known for wearing ties on a daily basis and always matching his clothes - something he says he does because he values the importance of a positive image representation of Latinos.

Mentoring a nation

Mentoring initiatives have become of national interest since U.S. President Barack Obama signed a presidential proclamation that declared the month of January as National Mentoring Month, celebrating its congressional recognition for the 10th year.

In conjunction with the Harvard School of Public Health and MENTOR - organizations advocating for raised awareness of mentoring across the nation - celebrities and government officials have participated in a campaign dubbed "Help Them Get There," which promotes the rapid growth and recruitment of mentoring organizations. General Colin L. Powell has appeared in public service announcements for the campaign in which he states his support for mentoring as a way of promoting education and states, "We must become a nation of graduates."

A local leader

It was a mentoring relationship between Chaidez and a local published author, Robert J. Renteria, Jr., that proved key in leading him toward a college education. "I think that a lot of people talk the talk and not enough walk the walk. We need to be mentors of action. My role is to show these kids that we lead by example," said Renteria, who wrote "From the Barrio to the Board Room," a personal memoir used in schools, prisons and mentoring progarms to teach how to replace gang violence, drugs and delinquency in youth with "education, pride, accomplishment and self esteem."

Renteria garnished a personal relationship with Chaidez's family after their chance meeting during a book launch in Aurora. "His parents told me, 'Roberto, we've taken him as far as we can. Can you take him the rest of the way?'" said Renteria. He remembered having stepped in as a "big brother" to Chaidez and helping him get scholarships for college.

Chaidez, now a freshmen at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he was offered an academic scholarship, is a grounded and mature 19-year-old with dreams and plans for a future as a professional civil engineer, even though he is oftentimes mistaken for his younger brother because of his slender frame and seemingly ageless baby-face looks. He has helped implement high school visitations to the U of I campus for young boys in the Chicago suburbs who have wanted to experience life as a college student. He has done this through the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), a campus organization that oversees the college visitations."

A family example

Both of Chaidez's younger brothers, Raul and Meliton Chaidez, have begun to follow in his footsteps becoming members of B2M and working toward being leaders and mentors in their community as well. Raul, 15, is the stoical, soft-spoken and self-proclaimed music lover of the three brothers and is soon to be the youngest president that B2M has ever had. "I think we are really lucky to have [Chaidez] to ask for advice ... he sometimes has put his own things aside so that we can do better," Raul said.

Chaidez describes Meliton, the youngest in his family, as "our little Einstein," because of his proven intellect and ability to take apart toy cars and modify their mechanics. Even though he is only 12 years old, Meliton has impressive composure and charm beyond his years. He sat throughout dinner with his brothers and B2M peers seemingly quiet and unaware, but when asked for his opinion he gave informed and leading answers that displayed his politician-like charisma and ingenuity. "It's like he's climbing a mountain and when he gets to the very top, he's gonna help me up with a rope and tell me what roads to take - you know what I'm saying?" said Meliton when asked how the pressure of having such accomplished older brothers affected him.

Chaidez has been recognized numerous times for his academic and civic achievements. In 2009, Telemundo Chicago awarded him its Student of the Month award; He has since been named an Illinois State Scholar, has received B2M's Phenomenal Achievement Award and been the recipient of the City of Aurora's Character Counts Award.

The boys and their mentor finished their farewell dinner with a photo session that encompassed the enthusiastic chatter, joking laughter and vivacity of most young men their age after a good meal with friends. But before saying his goodbye, Chaidez stopped to give one of B2M's newest members, 14-year-old Brian Moreno, these words of advice: "Your biggest enemy is always going to be yourself, so don't ever doubt yourself and your capabilities. Pick a role model and always keep it in your mind to say, 'what would he do?' If you succeed, then you are changing the image of what everybody sees a Latino as."

Mentoring Resources

Learn about National Mentoring Month:

www.nationalmentoringmonth.org

Find a local mentoring program:

www.mentoring.org

Volunteer and give service:

http://www.nationalservice.gov

Share and read mentoring stories from across the nation:

www.whomentoredyou.org

Mark your calentar:

January 25, 2011, is Thank Your Mentor Day