Every week this past year, a group of Dartmouth students made a standing appointment. Not with a professor or study group, but with a child from the Upper Valley who had been matched with each of them through the SIBs program at the Dartmouth Center for Social Impact.
Allison Wall ’26 says she learns from her little SIB, a 12-year-old from Vermont, every time they are together. “Despite her being 10 years younger than me, I look up to her more than she could ever imagine,” Wall says.
It’s a sentiment that captures something central to the SIBs program, which pairs Dartmouth students one-on-one with children ages 6 to 12 who could benefit from some mentoring.
The relationships are designed to last. Students commit to meeting weekly for at least four terms, doing whatever they like: playing on the Green, getting ice cream, and exploring the Upper Valley.
This spring, Dartmouth News spoke to four big SIBs who are graduating. Their little SIBs, who were in elementary school when the pairs were first formed, are moving on too. For both, it’s a season of transition. And for the students who showed up week after week, it became a lesson in what it actually means to be there for someone.
Showing Up
Anna Block ’26 was drawn to the SIBs program because she’d always enjoyed working with kids. She learned that being a mentor is not just about offering advice, but also about demonstrating a willingness to step outside your comfort zone. One afternoon, her little SIB wanted to play tag on the Green, but they needed more than the two of them to make it work.
“Together, we pushed each other out of our comfort zones to ask random people on the Green to join in our game of tag. This moment was meaningful to me because I had to model a willingness to put myself out there and ask strangers to play tag, showing my little (SIB) that so much fun can come from a little guts,” Block says.
Wall found herself letting go of the pressure to make every hangout memorable.
“The moments I have felt closest with my SIB have been the simple ones, like sitting outside and talking about how hard it can be to be in middle school,” Wall says.
For Vincent Peng ’26, the experience reshaped what he thought mentorship was.
“At first, I viewed mentorship as being someone who gives advice, guidance, and support. Over time, my understanding changed through my relationship with my younger SIB,” says Peng. “I learned that mentorship is much more about consistency, trust, and simply showing up.”
Beck Waghorne, who oversees DCSI youth mentorship programs, says that sort of lesson is at the heart of the initiative. “Many of the big SIBs are drawn to the program because they benefited from strong mentors themselves when they were younger and want to provide that same support to someone else,” Waghorne says.
Started in 1967, the SIB program is the oldest ongoing program at DCSI and currently maintains between 40 and 50 active matches. Through the program, students learn that mentorship is a skill that can be developed—and that being a mentor can be just as meaningful and transformative as having one.
Moving to the Next Chapter
For Lucinda Gullison ’26, who served as a student director of the program in addition to being a big SIB, four years of small moments added up to something larger. Looking back on early outings with her little SIB—who was seven years old when they first met—and seeing how much she has grown since then is, for Gullison, a reminder of just how meaningful the time together has been.
“Sometimes the most meaningful thing you can do for someone is simply be dependable and continue to show up,” Peng says. “As I move into my next chapter after Dartmouth, I will carry that lesson with me in my career, friendships, and community involvement.”
For Wall, the relationship became something she hadn’t anticipated. “My relationship with my SIB is one of the most special ones I have formed at Dartmouth.”
Her little SIB put it simply, “I am thankful for her being my friend.”
