Eden Cho

Junior BigSib Sohana Bahl helps Freshman LittleSib Kiara Rosado Desilets with course requests. “I always reiterate to my LittleSib that they are able to come to me with anything,” Bahl said. “I like to check on them periodically throughout the year to see how they’re doing, [and] if they have any questions.”

Many freshmen arrive at Jefferson with no direction and often feel overwhelmed due to the wide range of courses, clubs, and events the school has to offer. Having a mentor or “BigSib” to give advice and answer questions is crucial, which is why the 2029 Class Council decided to partner with Jefferson BigSibs to revive the program in the middle of the 2025-26 school year. The BigSibs program is mainly run by a team of liaisons and coordinators, who help plan, advertise and assign BigSib and LittleSib pairings.

“My job as a coordinator is to make sure that the program is well advertised, and make sure that pairs are talking to each other,” junior Coordinator Landon Huie said. “A big part of this program relies on the BigSibs and LittleSibs communicating, or else the program would be a bust.”

The team of liaisons and coordinators is made up of freshmen, juniors and seniors to maximize exposure to the program across the school.

“I help make the pairings between the freshmen and the upperclassmen, [and] I help advertise [the program],” freshman Liaison Sophie Kim said. “A lot of people [who are interested] in BigSibs are from my IBET (Integrated Biology, English, and Technology), so I advertise it to [them] a lot. I also sometimes help work on social media posts.”

In order for this program to be successful, it is crucial that a reasonable number of upperclassmen and underclassmen sign up.

“We’ve started to advertise on social media and also in school through ION and posters in classrooms,” Huie said. “Our hope is to reach those who don’t have social media so that we can pair everyone who needs help.”

An important part of building a strong relationship between BigSibs and LittleSibs is finding common ground through extracurricular activities, hobbies or any other topics of interest. 

“There’s questions on the form, [such as] ‘what are your interests,’ or ‘what do you need help with?’” Kim said. “And we try to pair based [on] any common interests or anything that a BigSib says that they’re really good at, [and] that they can help a LittleSib with.”

These personalized pairings can allow for deeper connection between BigSibs and LittleSibs.

“Both [my LittleSib and I] are in theater and also we live closer to each other than I thought,” junior BigSib Sohana Bahl said. “She is also very artsy and energetic, and I think we can [relate to each other] on those things.”

Having a BigSib can be extremely beneficial for underclassmen, whether it be help with course requests, study tips or any other questions about Jefferson they may have.

“I think the BigSibs program would help the underclassmen not only with academics, but would help the underclassmen to really see the full potential of what [Jefferson] has to offer,” Huie said. “[For example], the courses, the events and most importantly, the community.”

BigSibs can act as a source for underclassmen to have their questions answered and receive advice and tips related to Jefferson.

“I wanted to be a BigSib because [during] my freshman year, I had a BigSib, and she really helped me,” Bahl said. “She helped answer a lot of my random questions about [Jefferson] that I didn’t know where else to ask them. I wanted to pass that experience on to other people.”

Being a BigSib requires having a willingness to mentor, and assist underclassmen with any questions or concerns they may have.

“I most look forward to forming a connection with a younger [Jefferson] student to make sure that I can help her in any way I can,” Bahl said. “[Jefferson] is a lot of work, as everyone knows. Being able to relieve some stress, even if it’s answering questions about courses, teachers or grading is always something that makes me happy because I want people to be confident in themselves and succeed.”

Many LittleSibs sign up for the program in hopes that they will be able to receive tips on schoolwork and time management.

“I think [my BigSib will] be able to help me manage my workload and my time more,” LittleSib Kiara Rosado Desilets said. “[She might also help me] find more strategies to study.”

“[The BigSibs program is] helpful because you get to learn more about how the school works outside of what counselors will tell you,” Rosado Desilets said. “You get a real student to help you, an upperclassman who’s been through [Jefferson] already.

While underclassmen appear to be the ones benefiting from this program, it has provided numerous benefits for BigSibs as well.

“Being a BigSib has been incredibly rewarding for me because it has let me contextualize the experiences that my freshmen are going through within my own experiences,” Bahl said. “Doing it is incredibly rewarding because you get to help out new people who are still learning and figuring themselves out while also gaining experience in mentoring somebody and being a great human being.”