Judge Judy Sheindlin (right) and her daughter Nicole Sheindlin (left)Photo: Her honor nation/ Instagram
When Judge Judy Sheindlin and her daughter Nicole Sheindlin launched Her Honor Mentoring in 2006, it began with a modest group of eight or nine high-school girls and a simple belief: a trusted professional woman could help a young person see a wider future for herself. Twenty years later, the programme has grown into a regional mentoring network involving approximately 1,500 mentees and more than 1,000 volunteer mentors, according to Fox News and Her Honor Mentoring. Its growth from eight students at one high school to more than 100 students across multiple schools reflects both rising demand and the involvement of local schools, businesses and community organisations.
Because it gives young people access to knowledge that is not always available at home or school, mentorship often succeeds.
The organisation says its mentees are first-generation, college-bound students from families with limited financial resources, a focus that places the programme where mentorship and professional networks can make the greatest difference. The programme’s growth is impressive, but its purpose has remained remarkably consistent. Her Honor connects motivated high-school senior girls, many of whom are first-generation college-bound students from families with limited financial resources, with mentors who can offer practical guidance on education, careers, confidence and money. What began as a small experiment has become a structured nine-month experience designed to open doors that might otherwise remain closed. Nicole Sheindlin has described the programme as a reflection of her own relationship with Judge Judy. After attending the same law school as her stepmother, she later sat beside her in family court, where she saw the influence a strong professional woman could have on a young person’s outlook and opportunities. Her Honor works with high-school senior girls nominated by their schools. The programme now operates across the Bronx, Westchester and Rockland counties in New York, with a pilot initiative in Burlington, New Jersey. The core of Her Honor is a nine-month hybrid mentoring experience focused on college and career readiness. Mentoring teams meet weekly throughout the academic year, guided by the Her Honor curriculum and arranged at times and places that fit busy schedules. The curriculum goes beyond academic achievement. Mentees work on communication, problem-solving, time management and accountability, while also receiving support around college applications, career exploration and professional presentation. In practice, that can mean learning how to write an email, prepare for an interview, manage deadlines or think seriously about life after high school. A mentor can explain how a workplace operates, what college life is really like, how to handle setbacks or how to ask for help without feeling embarrassed. Those conversations can change how a student imagines her own future.