TeamMates of the Month: Jordan and Vance

Feeding Connection 

Jordan and his TeamMate Vance kicked off their relationship in an interesting way.

“You need to eat,” Vance said.  

Jordan, a soft-spoken fourth-grade student, wasn’t excited about lunch. Vance wanted to change that. So, he and Jordan made a trip to the Randolph library and found a spot together. 

“I marked his height and he started eating his lunch then,” Vance added. 

Jordan remembers the measuring with a grin. It was the year when he grew more than six inches. The high school junior is now almost the same height as his mentor. 

“I wonder if the marks are still there,” Jordan said. “ I thought I was pretty tall when I first met him.” 

Jordan’s height is not the only thing that has changed during this mentorship. They talk a lot more than they did early on.  Jordan appreciates having Vance as a confidant.  

“Just talking to him, meeting every week forms the connection,” Jordan said. “ I learn about Vance’s experiences, and what he went through and those experiences can help me.”

Vance’s dependable presence is something that Jordan values. It helped ease some worry when Jordan transitioned schools.  Jordan wondered if Vance would follow him – he did. 

“He was there. He still came,” Jordan said. 

Competition is another key aspect of their bond. The pair likes playing chess, which is a game Jordan learned from his dad. 

“I tried to get him away from the chess board because that was one thing he always beat me at,” Vance said. “Sometimes it was like five moves and the game’s over.”

Basketball is their equalizer – the game of HORSE in particular.

“We’re both not very good in basketball,”  the former Husker added. “I just haven’t been as bad this year. I’ve been eating his lunch lately.”

Soon, the match will be talking about college, like exploring scholarships that could support Jordan’s plans to attend the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. He plans to become a third-generation appraiser in his family.

“I look at him as a friend. I think it matters to him that we meet,” Jordan said. 

“If it didn’t matter, I wouldn’t do it,” Vance added.

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