Each month we introduce you to one of our Big and Little Sister matches and give you a glimpse into the special bond they share.
Big Sister Karen Lubov & Little Sister Yanni
Karen lives in Chestnut Hill and Yanni, 13, lives in Dorchester. They have been matched since October 20, 2009.
Before I had a Big Sister…I had my older sister to look up to. 
I wanted a Big Sister because…my older sister was going to college and I felt like a role model was being taken away from me. I wanted someone else to look up to.
My Big Sister has helped me…in school, to be a better person, and to consider new things.
Without my Big Sister I would not…have experienced cool things like leading the Pledge of Allegiance at the State of the City address, or getting City Councilor Ayanna Pressley’s phone number from her so I can text her with questions I may have.
Our favorite thing to do together is…watching movies like Twilight and singing in the car. I am always amazed that Yanni knows every lyric to every song in the radio no matter how new it is. Yanni loves to see me mess up the words to almost every song no matter how old they are!
We are looking forward to…celebrating Yanni’s junior high graduation and spending more time together in years to come.
I love being a Big Sister because…I feel that by being available to Yanni she has someone else in her life to support her, help her and otherwise guide her with any questions or issues she may have. She also makes me very proud and I feel like I play an important role in her life.
I love having a Big Sister because…I have someone to talk to about different things and someone I can get advice from that I cannot get from my friends because they are my age.
Since we’ve been matched my Little Sister has really…opened up to me and shared her life experiences in school, at home, and with her family and friends.
It is important for girls today to have positive female mentors because…they can learn new things from a good role model and have a better understanding of why some decisions are healthy and others are not.
My Big Sister is perfect for me because…because we have similar interests and backgrounds. Yanni’s family is from Puerto Rico and I am from Colombia, both Latin American countries.
Because of my Big Sister I will…continue to be considerate of others instead of just thinking about myself. I will always try to be a better person so she can continue to be proud of me.
