Senior Joe Looney was honored with the Boston Bruins Community All-Star award for his work creating the Dyslexia Mentorship Initiative. Co-founded with his friend Gabi Raymond–a senior at Gann Academy–the initiative aims to connect dyslexic students with experienced mentors for personalized guidance and support. What started as a passion project for Joe and Gabi quickly turned into a thriving program, empowering students and building community around navigating school with dyslexia.
When I was first diagnosed, there wasn’t really a resource for students to talk to someone who had a lived experience and could speak about what being dyslexic actually means. We wanted to change that.
Joe Looney '25
The idea for the Dyslexia Mentorship Initiative came to Joe and Gabi when they were considering how best to give back to their community. The pair reflected on their experiences with being diagnosed with dyslexia at a young age; “We had shared experiences in elementary school. We were both pulled out of the classroom a lot,” Joe mentions. “We fell behind academically because we didn’t have the opportunity to nail down basic English skills like reading and spelling.” This experience–and Joe and Gabi’s time together at Carroll School–sparked the initial idea for the Dyslexia Mentorship Initiative.
In the beginning, Joe and Gabi kept their plans small, aiming to mentor just a few students. Reaching out to their former schools and hanging up posters with QR codes, the pair tried to make themsleves as available as possible to younger students with dyslexia. But the reception wasn’t what they had hoped for. “We were struggling to find the students and resources to actually connect with a wide range of students,” Joe says. Knowing they could make more of a difference, Joe and Gabi decided to think bigger. “That’s what pushed us to make this a more established organization.”
The first person who reached out to Gabi and I was recently diagnosed. Meeting with her felt like all of the initial work that we had done was finally starting to pay off. Not necessarily for us, but for the students we were trying to reach. It gave us the momentum needed to keep going.
Joe Looney '25
News coverage of the initiative helped accelerate Joe and Gabi’s plans. After being featured on WCVB-TV, The Belmont Voice, and other outlets, families from all over the Boston area started reaching out to get involved. Joe and Gabi expanded their efforts by hosting monthly “Family Summits” where families can learn more about the program and ask questions. They also recruited a diverse pool of mentors, each with unique experiences and an eagerness to help others. “After a parent reaches out and shares a bit about their student, we then look into our network of mentors and pair them based upon matched interests and shared experiences.”
Before they knew it, Joe and Gabi were sitting in TD Garden and watching their faces light up the jumbotron. The duo was awarded the Boston Bruins Community All-Star Award after being anonymously nominated. The announcement–which took place during a game against the Edmonton Oilers–detailed their accomplishments and celebrated the hard work they had put in. For Joe and Gabi, much of the excitement of the night came from knowing the initiative was reaching an even larger audience; “it was great to have out organization shown to a wider range of people.”
Looking ahead, Joe and Gabi plan on continuing their work with the Dyslexia Mentorship Initiative after graduating later this year. Recognizing that the transition to college might limit their schedules, the duo have already started hearing from students interested in carrying on their work and helping the initiative continue to thrive.
Joe encourages anyone hoping to get involved with the Dyslexia Mentorship Initiative to visit their website, which can be found here.
My biggest hope is that we can show students that dyslexia isn’t necessarily something negative. There are so many positives that come along with it, and it’s all about recognizing that and embracing it.
Joe Looney '25