October Spotlight 2025

Jeff & Cloud

22 Oct October Spotlight 2025

Posted at 08:03h in Mentor Match Spotlight by

This month’s student-mentor spotlight is mentor Jeff Hirshberg and his mentee,  Cloud Byrd, from Yulee HightSchool. 

JEFF HIRSCHBERG, Mentor

What do you consider to be your hometown? How long have you lived in Fernandina Beach?

I grew up in Westwood, a New Jersey suburb not too far from New York City. After twelve years in Madison, Wisconsin and thirty-six in Buffalo, New York (where our three kids were raised), I left my snow blower behind and moved full-time to Amelia Island just as Covid was breaking out, in 2020.

 

What made you decide to mentor with Take Stock?

Back in Buffalo, I had been involved with several community-related organizations—a soup kitchen, literacy programs, a lecture series, and even, for a short time, a mentoring program at an underserved high school. Each activity, in its way, was promoting what I believed to be a more cohesive, educated, and caring community. Mentoring, to my mind, is a way to achieve these goals, one student at a time. 

How many students have you mentored?

Cloud is my first TSIC Nassau student.

What have you gained from mentoring Cloud?

Working with Cloud Byrd has been energizing, intellectually stimulating, and encouraging, He may be the only kid in Yulee High School who doesn’t dream of becoming a running back in the NFL. Cloud’s eagerness to learn, his inquisitiveness, his resiliency, and his curiosity are contagious, enriching every person he meets, including, and perhaps especially, me. 

 

CLOUD BYRD, Yulee High School

Why did you want to apply for Take Stock?

I wanted to apply to Take Stock to help me throughout high school and to take financial burden off my future. I felt that it was an amazing program. Since being accepted, I have gained much out of it!

What have you learned from your relationship with your mentor, Jeff?

My relationship with Mr. Jeff has taught me a great deal. Throughout our discussions about life and literature, amongst many other things, I have broadened my perspectives, succeeded in many things, and built my dreams. Mr. Jeff has served as an inspiration for me. He has been such a great supporter in my life, and above all else, has taught me in the simplest terms to always think

What is your favorite memory from TSIC?

My favorite memory from TSIC would certainly have to be my mentor and I’s discussions regarding the book Atomic Habits. It was a book I had suggested reading, and it was very insightful to discuss it with my mentor.

What are your plans after you graduate high school and TSIC?

After high school, I plan to go to Vanderbilt University and study Biomedical Engineering to obtain a doctorate degree. Although, if I don’t get accepted, I have no problem studying the same field at the University of Florida.