Match Profile: Jose and Adrian

Date: July 9, 2021

Little Brother Adrian and his new Big Brother Jose (pictured) were both excited to be a part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Adrian is a sweet kid who is loving, caring, friendly, inquisitive, determined, and compassionate. He has been on our waiting list to be matched with a Big Brother for a little less than a year. Adrian and his mom are a team, and their main concern is having a Big Brother that can be compassionate and understanding that he has autism and will require careful attention. His mother expressed that she feels the best Big Brother for Adrian would be someone that is gentle, caring, understanding, and willing to experience Adrian’s curiosity. When we asked Adrian what he wanted from a Big Brother, he stated that his Big Brother should be someone that is happy, funny, enjoys having a good time, and likes sports and video games. A few of Adrian’s favorite activities that he wanted to enjoy with his Big Brother were computer coding, exercising, playing outdoors, and taking walks.

Big Brother Jose is originally from Puerto Rico, and he relocated to Charleston after the completion of his doctorate degree and to begin his career as an application engineer at Ingevity. Jose is caring, outgoing, positive, a problem solver, and a good listener. His interest in becoming a Big Brother stemmed from the experiences of his colleague, Ken, who is also an active Big Brother in our program. Jose feels that mentoring a child can be rewarding to the mentor but also an important support that all children should have especially during any difficult times they experience in life.

Adrian and Jose have only been matched since January 2021, but they have been inseparable since. Jose and his mother have committed to a schedule of weekly outings every Thursday. Jose has been dedicated to this schedule to ensure that Adrian has the normalcy and rapport with Jose that he needs to flourish in their relationship. He is working closely with Adrian’s mother to understand and identify the specific triggers that could upset Adrian. Aside from meeting on a consistent basis, Jose first elected to have the outings at either Adrian’s home or his neighborhood to ensure that Adrian adjusted well to Jose’s presence. Once his mother and Jose agreed that Adrian was comfortable with Jose, the pair began to have outings in their local community to the Mount Pleasant Recreational Center.

Within a short period of time, Jose and Adrian have formed a special bond. Jose expressed to us that, “This experience with Adrian and his mom has been positive and rewarding so far. He really is a good kid and I like spending time with him.” Adrian’s mother shared, “I feel that Jose is really good for Adrian. He has been very consistent and caring with Adrian. I have noticed one change… Adrian now has a better understanding of personal boundaries and which information should be shared with others. He is developing trust for Jose.” She also liked when Jose explained to Adrian that they were Brothers who, “chose to be with each other”, and that is why their relationship is so special. When we asked Adrian about his thoughts and feelings about his relationship with Jose, he shared, “I want to keep it up! I think it is really great!” We are ecstatic to hear about all the great moments these two will share in the future!