I learned about School on Wheels after searching online about different ways to give back to my community. I was already volunteering with the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission.

I started volunteering because I have been fortunate enough to have had the ease and convenience of having my parents provide me with resources like school supplies and homework help when I needed it. Without the resources they have granted me, I wouldn’t have been successful in all the endeavors I have embarked on up to this point. I realize how lucky I have been throughout my life and wanted to give back to those who have just as much, if not more potential than I, so they, too, can accomplish their goals.

One experience with a student that made me smile was when I was working with a brilliant 11 year old boy as part of the School on Wheels Summer Reading Program. He met me and the other tutors with a lot of resistance in the beginning, but he just needed to be approached little patience and kept accountable. By the end of the program he was reading more pages from his book than we planned for him to read during each week and was able to finish the book with more concentration than I saw in any other student that also participated in the program. I’m glad that I was able to bring out some of the greatness this student has to offer the world.

I have always believed that to bring about a change in our society we need to work on our children. Unless we educate them, we cannot bring real changes. Each child deserves to be sculpted by education so they can not just take on the world, but also contribute to make it a better place. My focus, therefore, was on the ones that are unable to get proper education due to their circumstances. That’s why School on Wheels seemed like a perfect place to volunteer.

Tutoring is the most fulfilling experience in life — you get to equip kids with knowledge, love, hope, and wisdom. You are giving them something that can never be taken away from them, no matter what. Also, you don’t need fancy degrees to become a volunteer tutor. All you need is a bit of passion and the internet 🙂

I started volunteering, honestly, because I needed to fulfill my requirements for school. I was trying to find something that I’d enjoy doing, and over the past couple years that I’ve been volunteering with School on Wheels, it’s become more than just a requirement. I’ve built a close bond with my student, and it’s been such a privilege to watch her grow and make progress.

If someone was thinking about becoming a volunteer tutor, I’d first say thank you for taking their time and energy to do so. There are no doubt some harder sessions, when the students aren’t focusing and can’t perform their homework as well as usual, but overall, the sessions are so rewarding and well worth the effort.

I was looking for a way to contribute to my community when I found School on Wheels. Living downtown you see the devastation on a daily basis due to homelessness. It’s a terrible cycle some people just can’t get out of. I feel that education is the most important thing to help break this cycle. But education comes in so many ways, most importantly to be a critical thinker, a free thinker, to learn to ask questions and have the confidence to stand up for yourself and clearly navigate the challenges they will face in their lives.