Most Bigs and Littles first meet each other at their official Big Brothers Big Sisters match introduction meeting. But Big Jeff has known Little Cian for (literally) Cian’s entire life—since a few days after he was born.
At the time, Jeff was a Big Brother to Cian’s older brother, Stefan. Stefan graduated from the BBBS program and Jeff took a break. However, after a couple of years, he still felt pulled to mentorship, so he reached out to Stefan and Cian’s mother, Sherry, to ask if Cian would be interested in a Big Brother.
Cian was 9 years old at the time and had a lot of anxiety. He wanted a mentor, and having that person be someone he already knew was comforting to him. He was also excited to reconnect with the mentor his brother had such a great experience with.
Cian and Jeff were matched just before the COVID-19 pandemic, so they spent the first year connecting virtually. After lockdown was lifted, the two enjoyed getting out together to try new things. Over the six and a half years they’ve been matched, Cian and Jeff have had some incredible experiences—from sitting courtside at a Trail Blazers game to having breakfast with the Mayor of Portland—but some of the most impactful outings have been simple things like going for a walk in the park, playing board games, or running errands together. Cian even taught Jeff how to play chess!
Jeff was there for Cian during some of the hardest moments of his life, including the passing of Cian’s father, and losing a couple of cherished pets. He’s been a trusted confidant and even helped advocate for Cian when it came time to choose a high school. Cian felt strongly about attending a certain school, but based on previous experiences, Sherry was planning on enrolling Cian elsewhere. After talking about it with Cian, Jeff called Sherry to talk through Cian’s point of view and why he wanted to attend that school. Jeff’s call helped convince Sherry to let Cian make the decision— one Cian credits with launching his interest in debate and winning a scholarship to the Harvard Debate Council Summer Workshop last year.
Now, at 16 years old, Cian has found his confidence. He’s intelligent, driven, exceptionally kind and caring, and captains his school’s debate team. He spent last summer volunteering as a mentor to younger kids in the Galápagos Islands before heading to Harvard for debate camp. He’s already thinking about college and is deciding between attending an Ivy League University or Lewis & Clark College to study law.
What Sherry originally wanted for Cian was to have someone to talk to and confide in who wasn’t part of the immediate family, but what he’s gotten from Jeff has been so much more. She says Jeff consistently shows up for Cian every week and ensures that each time they get together is meaningful and beneficial.
“Jeff is steadfast and dependable. He’s the epitome of what a mentor should be,” Sherry said. “He really has demonstrated how to be a productive member of society.”
