For more than 15 years, Charlene Bentley has helped young people find the support they need through her role as mentorship coordinator with Big Brothers Big Sisters Langley. What she didn’t expect was how much mentorship would shape her own path.

Charlene began her studies at UFV in sciences, but a volunteer position with the Abbotsford Police’s Victim Services shifted her path.

“I liked the idea of working with families and people who had just gone through traumatic experiences,” says Charlene. “So, I flipped from sciences and did my Social Services diploma.”

She completed her diploma in 2010, then joined Big Brothers Big Sisters after a practicum placement through UFV.

As mentorship coordinator, Charlene coaches volunteers so they can serve as safe, supportive adults in a child’s life.

“We are a preventive program,” she explains. “We want to catch kids when they’re young and provide them that mentorship, so that when they get to those teenage years and later on in life, they’re making good choices and reaching their full potential.”

Matching mentors and mentees is rarely straightforward.

“Every match is unique because every child is different,” says Charlene. “Every mentor is different. You put those dynamics together, they’re always different. As a coordinator you have to be flexible to pivot and provide support where needed.”

Her earlier roles helped her build confidence in the field.

“My role with Victim Services opened my world up to this line of work,” says Charlene. “I learned a lot there. And through Big Brothers, Big Sisters, I have continued to learn how much I value working with people and building relationships.”

After raising her family and continuing her work with Big Brothers Big Sisters, Charlene returned to UFV to complete her Bachelor of Social Work. She applied what she learned in the classroom directly to her work and found support from faculty members, including assistant professors Natasha Marriette and Tim Dueck. Charlene has also presented at a research event at UFV alongside one of her classmates, James Cunningham (BSW ’25).

During her degree, Charlene also participated in a study-abroad program in Austria, and co-authored research on the benefits of international education in social work.

Through her BSW practicum at Langley Memorial Hospital, Charlene developed a growing interest in pursuing social work within healthcare. This interest grew stronger, and Charlene voluntarily supported research, related to social work with vulnerable adults in a healthcare setting alongside assistant professor and PhD candidate Natasha Marriette. “So that was where my interest went because I hoped I would get hired in the healthcare sector,” she says.

Charlene graduated in June 2025 and has since accepted a role as a social worker for Ridge Meadows Hospital while continuing part time with Big Brothers Big Sisters. “It’s very different,” she says of her work in the medical setting. “The skill set is still the same. I’m working with people and building relationships. The differences are in the complexities that people bring.”

Across both roles, Charlene continues to draw on everything she has learned.

“I think it’s about understanding,” she says. “Being trauma informed, and knowing there’s a context in someone’s life that leads them to where they’re at. And I find that with the families that I work with now, as well as in the hospital setting, I’m better able to understand someone’s history and to be able to support them when they need it most.”