2025 Mentors of the Year announced by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County & the Inland Empire (BBBS OC/IE) in conjunction with National Mentoring Month. These outstanding individuals were selected for the honor from the agency’s Community, High School Bigs and Workplace Mentoring programs.
“This very special annual recognition celebrates the invaluable contributions of the organization’s Bigs and highlights the resiliency of our Littles. These relationships are at the heart of our mission and often have a lifelong impact on both parties,” said BBBS OC/IE CEO Sloane Keane. “We are honored to be showcasing these individuals in our community who embody what mentorship can mean for a young person, the volunteer and the community in igniting the power and promise of the next generation.”
To read the stories of our BBBS OC/IE 2025 Mentors of the Year winners, visit www.ocbigs.org/blog/2025-mentors-of-the-year for Orange County and www.iebigs.org/blog/2025-mentors-of-the-year for Inland Empire.
Winners for the Community category are:
ORANGE COUNTY
- Leilannie Olnagan (Cypress) and Aranza
- Joohong Lange (Garden Grove) and Jacob
INLAND EMPIRE
- Susan Hinrichs (Moreno Valley) and Naiyalli
- Jonathan Rangel (Rancho Cucamonga) and Johnny
Winners for the High School Bigs category are:
ORANGE COUNTY
- Bethany Vu, Middle College High School
- Cesar Mora, Valencia High School
INLAND EMPIRE
- Karla Louisa, Jurupa Hills High School
- Gavin McGowan, Ramona High School
Winners for the Workplace Mentoring category are:
ORANGE COUNTY
- Amy Alcantra, Banc of California
- Terry Ehrhard, Ingram Micro
INLAND EMPIRE
- Stephanie Karnes, Norco Community College
- Steve Gomez, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians
Community mentors are evaluated on providing guidance, support and inspiration; helping mentees reach their goals and transition into college; and shaping the next generation of leaders. High School mentors are selected with a focus on the mentor as a leader and the impact they have had on their mentee, campus and community. Workplace mentors have made a significant and identifiable impact on their mentee’s college and career readiness.
In terms of additional corporate support, Amazon continues its annual sponsorship of BBBS OC/IE’s National Mentoring Month activities, underscoring its commitment to community impact through mentorship.
Winners in each category will be recognized at special awards events in the spring. In addition, the Orange County winners in the Community category have been nominated for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America’s Bigs & Littles of the Year.
BBBS OC/IE currently has 20,033 alumni, with 3,906 youth served and 101,723 volunteer hours logged in fiscal 2024. In terms of tangible results, 98% of participating youth graduate from high school on time, 87% pursue higher education and 95% show socio-economic growth.
There is currently a waiting list of more than 100 Littles eager to be matched with a mentor, and the organization is actively seeking volunteers. Learn more at www.ocbigs.org and www.iebigs.org.
