Volunteers of the Month – September 2026

Kevin Tran

What motivated your to start volunteering with School on Wheels?
What motivated me to start volunteering at School on Wheels was my passion to help others and my belief that every student deserves consistent support, encouragement, and access to educational opportunities. I wanted to use my time to make a meaningful difference in a student’s life.

What advice would you give to a new volunteer at School on Wheels?
My advice to new volunteers would be to take time to get to know each tutee as a person, not just as a student. Connecting over things they care about can make tutoring sessions more engaging and enjoyable for all. Don’t be afraid to take time from each tutoring session to engage in activities that are not school-related.

What inspires you to overcome any challenges that arise with tutoring?
I believe that by embracing a positive perspective, any challenges that may arise are easily overcome. Fortunately, I have not encountered many challenges as a tutor.

What have you learned from your student?
My student has taught me more than I ever expected. Her resilience, determination, and ability to move forward during difficult times have had a profound impact on me. Working with her has given me a different outlook on life, and I am so grateful for my experiences with her.

Chantal Sandoval

What inspires you to overcome any challenges that arise with tutoring?
Teaching geometry to my students was a struggle for a period of time, given the vast amount of novel terminology. I found that this learning curve is best tackled by creating mnemonics or silly connections to everyday life. For example, when identifying the geometric shape of a cone, I instructed my student to think of a snow cone.

What have you learned from your student?
I have learned to deeply appreciate the impact of empathy in tutoring. Keeping her emotional needs in mind, I made a conscious effort to adopt a gentle, encouraging approach. Seeing her now show up happy, confident, and excited to learn has been extremely rewarding.

Tyler Lam

What motivated your to start volunteering with School on Wheels?
In college, I always enjoyed teaching and helping my friends, so I wanted to apply that to my community and help teach kids here.

What advice would you give to a new volunteer at School on Wheels?
Some advice I would give a new volunteer is to take the time to learn about your student and figure out what methods work best for them. Getting to know your student can make a big difference.

What inspires you to overcome any challenges that arise with tutoring?
Something that inspires me to overcome challenges is looking back and seeing all the progress I’ve made with my student so far. It reminds me that even when a session is difficult, we are still making progress.

What have you learned from your student?
I’ve learned that every session is an opportunity for both of us to grow and learn more about each other. As I help him learn, I’m also learning how to become a better tutor.