Students of the Month – February 2022
Pedro – Age 11
Pedro is a very special person who is polite, open-minded, and fun. He has such a passion for learning! I rarely meet anyone so eager to acquire knowledge and willing to research and learn new things to please his own inner curiosity.
Pedro’s love of learning includes high-performance cars and coin collecting and he has immense knowledge and background on these subjects. Sometimes we find it challenging to delay our conversations about these subjects to focus on work, but we have been improving our time management so we can talk about anything after we complete tutoring.
Pedro has many talents and already is dreaming of using them to enroll in AP classes in high school, graduate college, and get his real estate license! He really wants to become a real estate investor and is hoping to do so as soon as he is 18.
Shawn Oesterreischer – Volunteer Tutor
Emily – Age 9
Emily is very smart and fun. She loves drama and painting. She never gives up and never says, “I don’t want to do that,” even when I know it’s difficult for her.
She wants to improve her reading and math skills and learn Spanish. She also wants to see real elephant seals and has dreams of being a famous YouTube star.
Working with her, I have realized that whatever has happened to me is nothing compared to what this little kid has gone through. She is very resilient, and that thought fills me with patience and a genuine desire to help her.
Lydia Cruz-Machlitt – Volunteer Tutor
Kyree – Age 11
Kyree is very creative and approaches different problems with an artistic inclination. One such problem was a homework assignment requiring her to create a short story and pair illustrations with it. Having an affinity for fat seals, she crafted a unique story about a fat seal searching for more cheesecake in the arctic sea!
Kyree hates math and is very vocal about her dislike for it… but when I go through materials like turning decimal numbers into proper fractions, she picks up the concepts quickly. I have learned that the best way to teach Kyree is to involve her interests; weaving in fun and creative stories, we now cover math during every tutoring session without a single peep of complaint!
Working with Kyree, I have learned to approach problems I face with creativity and tenacity. When I face a new problem that I have not seen before, I find myself thinking, “How would Kyree approach this problem?” Integrating this new way of thinking has allowed me to enjoy my job as a research engineer even more.
Peter Romagnano – Volunteer Tutor
Emily – Age 17
Emily is a wonderful student! She is extremely kind, thoughtful, and open-minded. She is always excited to learn and learn and inspires me through her strength and vulnerability. This year has been difficult for her, as she has not been able to attend school due to COVID. It has been frustrating because she doesn’t have much power to make a change and just has to wait for things to work out, but she is constantly working with her mom to get back into school.
Emily wants to pursue a life that she loves and figure out a path that makes sense for her. She is currently considering going to trade school and wants to continue building healthy habits for herself. She also enjoys spending time with her cat and friends.
I have learned so much from watching Emily grow as a person. She has taught me that being kind and open-hearted is a very special and rare quality that should be cherished.
Juliette Lin – Volunteer Tutor
Milachi – Age 12
Milachi likes to have fun and maintains a positive attitude, even when something is challenging or confusing.
Milachi loves sports and wants to play professionally. We have worked a lot on understanding the concept of ratios and proportions, and I find it helps if I can come up with a word problem that somehow involves the Las Vegas Raiders.
I’ve learned that it can be helpful to keep it light even when you’re trying to be productive. Also, thanks to Milachi, I now know what “bussin” means!
Drew Josted – Volunteer Tutor
Brandon – Age 17
Brandon is a very kind-hearted individual and is involved with fun extracurricular activities like color guard and band.
When we started working together, one of Brandon’s challenges was completing all of his work. Together we have worked on getting all the way through his work in our tutoring sessions; we make plans and have regular check-ins for how his work is coming along. Brandon mentioned that he does not like reading out loud, so in the course of our tutoring sessions, we make sure he gets plenty of practice at it!
I have learned a lot of things from Brandon, including things about color guard and the different competitions they have. Brandon has also taught me how much you can connect with someone you have never met in person and I am very grateful for that. I can’t wait to see what he accomplishes!
Farid Holakouee – Volunteer Tutor
Ashley – Age 18
Ashley hopes to be a social worker one day. The social workers that have been present in her life have inspired her to want to take on their role and help future generations through some of the challenges she went through herself.
Organization was one of our major obstacles, but Ashley has found utility in setting reminders and taking notes on her phone to help keep her schedule on track and keep important information. Her confidence, persistence, and ambition are what make her special.
Gregory Demirjian – Volunteer Tutor