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| Posted on Friday, December 06 @ 00:00:10 PST |
The Santa Fe New Mexican Helping the vulnerable with boots on the ground André Salkin, The Santa Fe New Mexican Fri, December 6, 2024 at 12:35 AM UTC
Dec. 5—Louis Tilmont had one of those teachers, the kind who find something special in their students.
Tilmont was a directionless teenager in New Yorks Middletown High School when Mr. Sherz took a chance on him, offering him an opportunity to take classes at a local community college.
The experience still sticks with Tilmont, decades later.
He made me feel like I mattered, he said of the teacher.
Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, its Tilmonts turn to make people feel like they matter.
After a successful career in software development, hes dedicated himself to serving the Santa Fe community through a variety of what he called boots-on-the-ground roles to support the citys vulnerable populations and tackle the roots of poverty.
Because of his service to Santa Fe — as a tutor, mentor, advocate, foster pet parent and more — Tilmont has been selected as one of The New Mexicans 10 Who Made a Difference for 2024.
Ive always been an idealist, he said. I was in the finance business ... which is somewhat soulless, so I always felt like I wanted to give something back.
Advertisement Advertisement Though he originally dropped out of college to move to Santa Fe as a gold leaf framer, Tilmont went back to school in his 30s to get a computer science degree at the College of Santa Fe.
He used the degree to build a career in software development, designing algorithms predicting market trends for a company called Predictions.
Four years later, he and two others left the company and started their own investment advisory firm, Santa Fe Partners, which he continues to run.
Tilmont said his life changed at the beginning of 2020, when he was diagnosed with cancer.
The will to live kicked in, he said. It became very clear to me I did not want to die. The community here was a big part of that.
Advertisement Advertisement More in U.S. CEO Killer Spent 10 Days in NYC After Grueling Bus Trip The Daily Beast Passenger stinks up entire plane with ‘diabolical’ in-flight meal choice: ‘Scented food is a crime’ NY Post Massive lottery jackpot is set to expire. Mystery player was part of an incredibly rare draw LA Times 2 kindergarteners in critical but stable condition after Christian school shooting ABC News While undergoing chemotherapy, he became a mentor with STEM Santa Fe — a local nonprofit that provides programs related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
He learned reading below grade level in third grade is correlated with future struggles in school as well as a higher likelihoods of becoming a high school dropout and future prison inmate.
I dont know how to solve the big problem, you know, but I can maybe make an individual difference to some kids, he said.
After recovering from cancer, he ramped up his involvement, serving as a mentor and tutor for students with STEM Santa Fe and Communities In Schools of New Mexico, another local organization that provides the academic and social support students need to achieve.
Outside of schools, he became an advocate for CASA First, a local program providing court-appointed special advocates for foster children in the First Judicial District.
Advertisement Advertisement For the parents to sort of reunify with their [foster] kids, they need to do stuff like get sober. And so theres a lack of support for that, too, he said.
Thats where Tilmonts substance abuse recovery support comes in: Hes treasurer for the Santa Fe Recovery Center and a board member for the Friendship Club.
But thats not all. Hes also a hands-on foster for the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society, having raised almost 90 cats and dogs.
Hes also a volunteer with the Cancer Foundation for New Mexico. Tilmont visits chemotherapy suites to share his experiences, provide drinks and snacks, and help out the nurses, so they can do more of their magic with the patients, he said.
Advertisement Advertisement He described his brothers impactful experience of meeting Baltimore Orioles player Cal Ripken Jr.: There could be a hundred people around — when you met this guy, everything just got quiet. You were the only person in the room.
I kept thinking — I want to be a little bit like that with people — letting them know that theyre important and that theyre all Im thinking about, he said.
Its good advice for those in education. Tilmont said he understands why teachers often feel overwhelmed by the high-stakes job.
As a tutor and mentor, he works with students on a little more of a limited basis than teachers, but there was a time when he lost faith, too.
Advertisement Advertisement He was mentoring a group of at-risk students, many of them chronically in trouble.
I didnt think I was making a difference to anybody, Tilmont recalled.
There was one student in particular, a year-after-year attendee of the class, who seemed committed to not listening to his advice.
It was enough to make Tilmont take a step back from the program.
Years later, he ran into the former student.
I listened to everything you said, the person told him. I loved those speakers that you brought in. I know I was defiant, but I listened to all of it.
Tilmonts voice had rung in the persons ears when they were in jail: Quit drinking, quit doing drugs, and your life will change.
Advertisement Advertisement The conversation sparked Tilmonts motivation to again play an active role in classrooms.
Hes not finished learning lessons from his students.
One of the other important things is not to get stale or rigid, Tilmont said. My mother is 91 years old, and she just bought a new set of AirPods. And so I sort of aspire to be like her — to just stay relevant and ... to never stop learning.
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