Tutoring opportunities are available on campus and around the UC community for students seeking to expand their extracurricular resumes and receive volunteer hours.

   The University City Community Library at Governor Drive offers many tutoring services for both middle school and high school students. Branch Manager Melissa Martin said, “We are always looking for tutors to help elementary and middle school students. The students that come in often need help with their math and English homework.”

   Regarding the process to become a tutor, Martin said, “The first step is to talk to Ms. Jackie or Ratula Datta, our Youth Services Librarian and volunteer coordinator [respectively]. They know who the volunteers are and when they’re working, so they’ll know when we are going to have an opening. Also, we try to reach out at the end of the school year and the summer because all the tutors have to be fingerprinted and background checked, which requires a trip downtown after making an appointment that usually is full for the next few weeks.”    

    Volunteering at the library after school can be greatly beneficial to high school students. “There’s downtime; when you are waiting for someone, you can do your own homework,” said Martin. Furthermore, volunteer hours will be granted, which can boost students’ resumes.

   Similarly, tutoring opportunities are available at UC High. Head of Special Education Jennifer Breeding said, “We have the Math Academy, tutoring with teachers after school or at lunch, and the Writer’s Workshop.”

   Breeding said, “The tutoring will improve grades and expand knowledge of the subjects. In Math Academy, it’s not just math, it’s other subjects you can get help with as well.”

   The Writer’s Workshop is a great opportunity for high school students seeking to enhance their resume. English and AVID Teacher Jennifer Huszar said, “We have juniors and seniors working as writing mentors. They are strong writers and enjoy writing, and they sign up to come in and work on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays. They’re just here as a resource for students that need help.”

   Huszar said, “It is considered community service and it’s personally enriching, because you can help other students. Also, you can clear tardies if you have any to clear.”

   The Writer’s Workshop can also help students become better readers and writers. “I find that sometimes having students help other students is really beneficial because the students have been there, the mentors have been there; they know what it’s like to be sitting in that English class,” said Huszar.

   “Also, the students getting help feel a little bit more comfortable with asking for help from other students rather than sometimes approaching their teachers,” said Huszar.