Judge Judy Sheindlin recently announced that she’s "rewiring" and letting son Adam Levy take the reins of TV courtroom drama, but she has plenty of other projects to keep her busy.
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she → announce → her
The Her Honor Mentoring program she helped co-found just celebrated its 20-year anniversary.
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she → help → anniversary
Sheindlin founded the program with her daughter Nicole Sheindlin to empower young women through mentorship and professional development.
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Sheindlin → found → mentorship
For the past two decades, Her Honor Mentoring has welcomed approximately 2,500 participants; 1,500 mentees, selected from 31 high schools across the region, and more than 1,000 mentors from 400 organizations and businesses.
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Mentoring → welcome → organizations
"I’m so happy to be here 20 years after our freshman year," Sheindlin told Fox News Digital.
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Sheindlin → ’m → Digital
The project, she said, "started off with a dream" and all they could do was hope it was successful.
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it → say → dream
The first class held only eight or nine women, whereas the most recent class in September saw over 100.
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class → hold → 100
"It’s the combination of the mentoring and the financial part of it – which is the girls get paid for working… and learning how to dress for success, learning about making first impressions, learning how to manage your money and just knowing how to grow up financially prepared to be an adult
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girls → ’ → money
," Sheindlin told Fox News Digital.
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Sheindlin → tell → Digital
The project, she said, is "simple, but satisfying."
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she → say → ?
And she's been impressed and inspired by the young participants' drive to succeed.
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she → impress → drive
"This small cohort makes me hopeful," Sheindlin said.
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Sheindlin → make → ?
"I think that you become jaded when you see so much dysfunction.
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you → think → dysfunction
I’ve been around so much adult dysfunction and juvenile dysfunction, that to see young people still hoping and dreaming, wanting to work hard to realize their dream that their journey on this Earth is positive and fulfilling, makes you feel good.
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you → see → Earth
It sort of renews your faith that probably the vast majority of people are like these young women. That they want their lives to be productive and happy and fulfilling.
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lives → renew → women
"
Several of the former mentees have come back as mentors after starting their careers.
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Several → come → careers
"We’re teaching them to give back," she said.
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she → teach → them
"We’re teaching these young women the importance of being not only for themselves.
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But then once you’ve realized that, to supporting others with your time and your talent… they have a drive, they want to be their own engines.
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they → realize → drive
They want to be the engine that pulls their own train."
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that → want → train
Sheindlin credited her stepdaughter Nicole as being "the engine that keeps the project running."
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that → credit → project
Nicole, the current CEO of Her Honor Mentoring, said the program started as a reflection of her relationship with Judge Judy.
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program → say → Judy
She went to the same law school as her stepmother and sat on the bench with her when she was a judge in family court.
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she → go → court
Nicole called it the perfect model for the program, saying, "The power and the impact of having a professional woman, a strong woman be a mentor, be a guide, be a supporter."
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woman → call → program
The mother-daughter duo concluded they should empower young women together to help women gain some extra skills and expand their professional network.
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women → conclude → network
"We’ve come to learn how much the mentors have grown and are inspired," Nicole told Fox Digital.
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Nicole → come → Digital
"They’ve discovered that giving back empowers their own personal wellbeing."
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giving → discover → wellbeing
The program connects mentees with mentors across several industries.
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program → connect → industries
During 20 weekly meetings throughout the academic year, mentoring teams explore topics related to education, career and financial literacy.
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teams → mentor → education
In addition, as part of the Her Honor experience, mentees complete four electives.
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mentees → complete → electives
The offerings include field trips, digital courses and creative projects.
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offerings → include → trips
The 2026-27 Her Honor class consists of 108 mentees and 123 mentors across 14 schools throughout Bronx, Rockland and Westchester counties.
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class → consist → counties
Mentee Keiry Alvarez and her mentor Lilliana Mendoza said they were grateful that the program helped them overcome their timidity.
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them → say → timidity
Alvarez, who said she was encouraged to join the program after her sister said Her Honor has helped her become more confident and outspoken.
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her → say → program
Mendoza was the first generation female to go to college in her family and a 2016 Her Honor mentee.
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Mendoza → go → family
She said the program helped her combat her shyness, gain people skills and find her voice.
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her → say → voice
She added that it gave her specific guidance that has made an impact on her career as a police officer in the Mamaroneck Police Department.
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that → add → Department
"Throughout my mentorship, I learned to have a lot of empathy for people and understand how people are, and I think that was a big part, because I also have a lot of empathy for people," she told Fox Digital.
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she → learn → Digital
Fox News Digital's Rachel del Guidice contributed to this report.
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Guidice → contribute → report
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