A Forever Friendship: Dee and Khadija
By: Ace Editors
Tags: Mentoring, Refugees, Volunteering, Mentorship, Nonprofit

Written by Julie Craven, a senior at Assumption College. Julie is majoring in writing and mass communications with a minor in community service-learning.

The ACE Mentoring for Empowerment & Exchange program pairs students and mentors together — like Khadija and Dee.

Dee Bagley remembers the day, four years ago, when she first met her mentoring partner, Khadija Bilal, on the second floor of the Fanning building.

“I remember you told me you liked my hair,’’ Dee said, looking at Khadija, sitting beside her outside the ACE homework room. “I said that I liked your smile, and you made me laugh.”

Listening, Khadija flashed that same smile again, laughing with Dee.

This small but meaningful interaction hinted at their chemistry — the same chemistry that has kept them together for four years.

“Having a mentor is more fun. I didn’t even know about mentoring. Then, I heard of it, and then I found her,” said Khadija.

Khadija’s mentor Dee, from Oxford, MA, has always had a passion for volunteering and thought that ACE would be a good fit for her. After volunteering for some time, ACE posted a position seeking a new dance instructor. Since Dee is an experienced dancer, she eagerly signed up. Dee remembers meeting Khadija on her first day of teaching; they started bonding immediately. Dee soon joined ACE’s mentoring program and has been mentoring Khadija since 2016.

Khadija is a proud Ethiopian. While born in Nairobi, Kenya, she spent many years living in Ethiopia and then came to the U.S. She has lived in Worcester for five years and is a first-year student at North High. Her favorite subject is English, which is the subject Khadija and Dee work on the most.

The mentoring program is much more than just homework help. Mentors and mentees share a close bond outside of ACE and learn from each other throughout the process.

“Not only am I here to help with homework and help Khadija, but you form a relationship with each other. She’s here for me, too,” Dee said. “It’s a friendship, and the more you put into it, and the effort you give towards your mentee, you feel rewarded watching them grow over the years. It’s the best feeling watching her go from a 12-year-old to just turning 16. Now it’s like, ‘Please don’t start driving!’”

Khadija has come a long way since she started out four years ago. Dee said Khadija’s English has improved immensely. Dee remembers Khadija carefully studying the words of different poems.

“The first year we were paired, it was pretty set. We did homework for the hour and fifteen minutes and then typically, back then, we would finish early because you weren’t getting as much homework,” said Dee, speaking to Khadija. “Now that you’re at North High, the homework keeps coming like crazy. We have a pretty good balance with working on homework, studying, and the activities we do.”

They both talk about the different ways they bond together — one of them being a beach trip.

“We went to the beach, and it was supposed to be nice out. We drove two and a half hours. When we got there, it was down-pouring, but we still went and had fun. It makes me laugh every time,” Dee said.

“I went in the water, and it was so cold,” said Khadija laughing.

A favorite memory of Khadija’s is their trip to Six Flags where Khadija had an adventure on a roller coaster.

“When I go on a roller coaster, I pass out,” said Khadija, laughing. Dee admits Khadija’s reaction made her nervous, but Dee looks back on the memory quite fondly, laughing at the moments she was shaking Khadija to make sure she was okay before they jumped on more roller coasters.

Ayman Abdelgadir, the Volunteer and Mentor Coordinator at ACE, could see their close-knit bond. In 2017 Khadija and Dee were awarded “Mentoring Match of the Year.”

“Dee and Khadija are one of our highlight mentoring matches,” Ayman said. “The two of them have established a unique bond that perfectly demonstrates the power of mentoring at ACE. Mentoring is a seed that needs to be watered by support and requires time. Dee and Khadija’s seed has fully blossomed.”

Dee and Khadija are a team and bring out the best in each other, which is why they have been a pair for so long. Whether doing homework or hanging out, they always have a good time with each other.

“I have never thought twice about not being together. It’s part of my life, and you are in it,” said Dee, smiling at Khadija.