Molly was born and raised in Rapid City, South Dakota, and is currently in her fifth year of teaching at Rapid City Central High School (her alma mater – Once a Cobbler, Always a Cobbler). She taught English Language Arts for four years before transitioning into her current position as a full-time peer mentor facilitator. Molly is an alum of the original peer leadership program (Cobbler2Cobbler) that was started at Central High School by Tim McGowan. Molly saw the direct impact that peer mentorship made on her peers and school community, so she advocated for the program to be resurrected at CHS and is currently leading the pilot year for the 2024-2025 school year. Atop facilitating the peer mentoring program with her awesome mentors, Molly enjoys reading, spending time with her family, going to the movies, and attending every student event that she can.
My experience with peer mentorship extends past its current tenure. I was a student at Rapid City Central High School during the time when Tim McGowan ran our peer mentorship program, Cobbler2Cobbler. I fully believe that peer mentorship, both as a mentee during my freshman year in 2012-2013 and as a mentor in 2014-2016, changed the trajectory of my life. Peer mentorship opened my eyes to the fact that community building is integral to personal and group success. Cobbler2Cobbler exposed that connectedness creates support that can withstand adversity. Because of peer mentorship, I pursued a career in teaching and used the principles taught to me in my adolescence to shape my classroom environment. I now have the privilege of cultivating a peer mentoring program as my full-time position, and I get to watch my current students make the same discoveries I made when I was in their position.
