Teen Writers Mentorship Program
Fall 2024 - Spring 2025

Catholic Literary Arts is excited to offer a writing mentorship program for high school students during the 2024-25 academic year.

Our effective and inspired instruction based on our unique CLA methodology has enabled our Teen Mentorship Program students to win awards and be published.

This program offers virtual instructional sessions followed by writing assignments and revisions of those writing assignments based on teacher feedback. This program mentors teens to submit their writing to contests, magazines, and journals for publication after coaching from teachers.

Our professional faculty will mentor you by using individual feedback and focused instruction in addition to their writing, editing, and publication experience.

We bring the fun of writing to you while also helping you attain additional writing skills. This is a positive environment for you to explore your love of writing and reading, while also beginning to submit your polished pieces to writing contests and to journals and magazines offering publication opportunities.

Virtual meetings will held monthly (with the exception of Christmas vacation) on Saturday mornings during the academic year 2024-2025.

Exciting opportunities for learning and enjoyment of the writing arts will be featured:

• focused discussion with a Christ-centered basis

• instruction in writing poetry, fiction, and personal essay

• monthly virtual meetings on a Saturday morning.

• bi-weekly check-in via email

• sponsorship for contest entries, and

• strategic assessment of publication opportunities.

2024-2025 Schedule

• Thursday, August 22, 2024 (6:30-7:30 pm, CDT): Virtual Orientation Session for Parents and Students

• Saturday, September 7 (10-11:15 am, CDT): Online Session

• Saturday, October 5 (10-11:15 am, CDT): Online Session

• Saturday, November 2 (10-11:15 am, CDT): Online Session

• Friday, November 28: Typical Scholastic Writing Contest Deadline, SUBJECT TO CHANGE

• Saturday, February 1 (10-11:15 am, CST): Online Session

• Saturday, March 1 (10-11:15 am, CST): Online Session

• Saturday, April 5 (10-11:15 am, CST): Online Session

• Saturday, May 3 (10-11:15 am,CST): Online Session

Expectations

Please read through these policies before applying:

•  Each applicant must be registered in high school or in a high-school level home-school course of study. The minimum age is 14 years.

• Each applicant will be able to use Google Classroom to access virtual teaching sessions and to turn in homework.

• Parents will provide a parental email address and telephone number to be used for all communication between CLA faculty/staff and students.

• Students will commit to attend monthly virtual sessions and complete writing exercises by the due date.

• Students agree to submit a minimum of one entry to a contest or publication approved by CLA during the academic year’s schedule of virtual meetings. Each submission will be determined by conferring with CLA faculty who will support the students in editing and revision.

• Students, parents, and CLA faculty/staff will follow Safe Environment guidelines of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

• Student and one parent will attend Orientation session in August as stated below.

• Students will attend six virtual teaching sessions between September 2024 and May 2025.

• Students will complete a one-page essay by May 31, 2025 summarizing their experiences in the Mentorship Program.

This year’s cohort will be selected from applications submitted between the dates of June 15, 2024, and July 20, 2024.

Each selected student for this year’s cohort must attend a virtual Information Session on Thursday August 22, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. with a parent. At that meeting, you will receive the following items:

• the academic year’s schedule, including due dates for writing assignments

• the software requirements and procedures.

The cost of this program is $600, which may be paid in one payment, upon acceptance, or two payments.  

APPLICATIONS

Applications may be submitted by email until 11:59 p.m., CDT on July 20, 2024.

Please email your application package to cathla.org@gmail.com [Subject line: Application for Teen Mentorship Program.]

APPLICATION PACKAGE

Your application must include the following:

• a statement from the student's parent(s) or legal guardian giving the student permission to apply and be included in the program, if selected,

• a one-page letter from the student saying why he/she wishes to participate in the program and what he or she hopes to learn,

• a two-page writing sample, either prose or poetry, or both. Student’s name must appear on each page.

  contact email and telephone number for parent/s.

The application deadline is July 20, 2024, 11:59 p.m., CDT

Please understand that each year we receive more applications than we have room for in this program. 
Only a few limited spots are available.

Email us or call if you have questions: 713-331-9342 or cathla.org@gmail.com 

MEET OUR STAFF

Our experienced faculty-mentors are Ms. Brittany Guzman, Ms. Claire V. Jones, and team leader Mrs. Lauren Lee.

Lauren Lee

Lauren Lee has a M.A. in Catholic Education from the University of St. Thomas and holds a B.A. in History with a concentration in International Relations from the University of Dallas. She is dedicated to Catholic Education and has served the teaching mission of the church for over 15 years. She has taught in traditional Catholic schools, and now works in a Montessori Catholic school and is pursuing her Montessori training.

Brittany Guzman

Brittany Guzman is a dedicated educator who works with students to express ideas clearly through writing. She has a M.A. in Liberal Arts and a B.A. in Government from Houston Christian University. She has been an adjunct professor of English since 2019 at HCU and worked with college and high school students to review and edit papers for eight years.  She is a faculty member of Fearless Catholic Writing Camp and CLA’s High School Writers Institute at the University of St. Thomas each summer.

Claire V. Jones

Claire V. Jones is a creative writer who enjoys working with students to refine their skills in writing. She has a B.A. in Creative Writing from Houston Christian University. She served as a writing tutor at HCU for two and a half years and maintained a leadership position in that department. She is a faculty member of Fearless Catholic Writing Camp at the University of St. Thomas and has worked as an educator in Catholic Literary Arts After-School Program and in-person Tutoring program..