[Ricky Q.]

A good mentor / teacher is someone that kids can relate too, look up to, confide in, and just genuniely trust as a person. They won't always be your friends at all times, but you have to trust them enough to know that what they are doing is right for you and will benefit you in the long run. You may question them and/or their actions, but most of the time they are looking out for you and know that they need to give you a hard time to get you to see it the correct way.

Good mentors / teachers won't just explain something once and assume that you get it, they make you ask questions, make you explain it back to them, make you demonstrate it, to ensure that you grasp what they are handing you. They will take their own precious time away from their jobs or families to teach a bunch of crazy high schoolers about engineering and about life (for free too!).

Good mentors and teachers are a special group of people that shouldn't be taken for granted, this is a once in a lifetime experience. Take advantage of their presence and learn as much as possible.