MACON, Ga. —
We’re taking a dive into just how deep the talent goes at 13WMAZ.
For the past few weeks, we've shared the talents some of the 13WMAZ news team have that go “beyond the camera.”
This week, we seek wisdom from 13WMAZ Morning reporter Wanya Reese, who mentors with the Big Brothers, Big Sisters organization outside of his day job at the news station.
Wanya is currently a big brother to his mentee, 10-year-old Carter.
Q: Why mentoring?
A: I chose mentoring because when I first got here to Macon, I saw that a lot of the kids didn't really have an outlet. Then, I saw that a lot of the crimes that were happening were happening among the youth in the community. But I thought part of a way that I could be proactive instead of just reporting about the issues is actually trying to go help mentor one of these kids, so I'm not reporting about another black kid being shot and killed or them being in the wrong predicament. I thought if I could just be that one person to just help out one child, I'd be willing to make that difference.
Q: Where do you mentor/how do you usually spend the time with your mentee?
A: I mentor with Big Brothers, Big Sisters of America. More locally, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Heart of Georgia. Carter and I, we do things all the time. I think he know whens I'm coming to pick him up, he's going to have some fun. He always is like running out the house.
Being raised without a father, there were some things I wish that I was taught or I had a big brother to do. For example, last weekend I went over to his house and taught him and his brothers how to tie ties and how to clean off shoes. Even though he does have his parents in the house, they do work and they have to make a living. I'm like "hey, if I can teach you what to do teach you something productive because you're going to have to wear a tie." He's a really smart boy, he's going to be winning awards, so I want to make sure he's looking right and he has those skills that we should have.
Q: What is the most fulfilling part of the process?
A: I would say the most fulfilling part of the process is just seeing somebody, even a child, they just appreciate you for you. He's definitely somebody who looks up to me and I'm very mindful of that in everything I do and everything that comes out of my mouth. He enjoys our relationship and that's just the one thing that warms my heart. Every time that I see him, no matter what's going on at home, no matter what's going on at school, he has a smile on his face and he's genuinely happy to be hanging out with me.
Money can;t give you that type of feeling that you get. I was like "is this how it feels to have a child because it's like I love him already." He's just an awesome guy.
Q: Who were YOUR mentors growing up and how did they affect your current life decisions?
A: The people who really filled up that space for me were my uncles and my cousins. When I was little and me and my mom lived in Georgia, I'd get the chance to go to Charleston every summer. And those were really the male role models in my life, and those were really my mentors. They taught me to be the man that I am today, and they say that it takes a village to raise a child and that's very true because they taught me so much.
Wanya says he's happy that he had those people in his life, even though he didn't have a father figure.
"It shows me no matter where you come from, you can't use that excuse that you don't have a dad in your life, but if you have a stable male role model or models in your life, you can literally be anything you want to be.
