Great Potential Tutor Spotlight

The Great Potential Liberty Partnership Program has always aimed to enhance the education of young minds and to prepare them for college with resources they may not have otherwise had available to them. The GPLPP tutoring program has provided high school students access to homework help and insight from intelligent college students for multiple years. Students from Purchase College are hired to attend these schools and tutor students on a number of different subjects. Today we are showcasing two immensely talented students from Purchase College who tutor and mentor students at Nellie A. Thornton High School/Performing and Visual Arts Magnet School. They were generous enough to answer a few questions for us:

1. What is your name, year, and major?

2. Why did you choose to participate in the tutoring position?

3. Can you describe your experience as a tutor in a few words?

4. What do you believe students gain from the tutoring program?

5. Did your school have a tutoring program? If not, do you believe you would have benefited from such a program?

Erika Francis:

1. Erika Francis, Senior Communication major.

2. I chose to be a tutor because I wanted to give back and I truly believe the gift of education and mentorship is the best way. 

3. It is an extremely rewarding experience.

4. In addition to students getting help with their homework, it gives them an insight on the college experience from current college students. 

5. No, it did not. I do believe I would have benefited from such a program because I would have had more insight on what college was like and would have been more prepared. 

Mariam Traore:

1. Mariam Traore, Senior Mathematics / Computer Science and Communication double Major with a minor in Global Black Studies and possibly Bio.

2. I chose to do this because I worked with Great Potential for one of my previous classes as part of a community service requirement and I really enjoyed it. It was the first time since graduating high school that I practiced math again and a year later I changed my major to Mathematics / Computer Science.

3. It’s really fun helping the students. We figure things out together because the Common Core curriculum is a little bit different from what I am used to so it is a learning experience for us both. Us mentors also give them advice about college and it feels more like a big brother/sister program than it does tutoring. I am also happy to help students understand math in a different way from what their teachers teach them. Math is hard and everyone has different ways of learning so the 1 on 1 sessions we have with the students are a big help to them. I just wish we saw them more than once a week and the students feel that way too. 

4. I feel like they get help from people who are closer to their age range so they are more relaxed and open to listening because they are not as intimidated and we also may be able to connect with them and teach them in a different way then their teachers can. We can cater to the students individual challenges because we get that one on one experience with them that their teachers can’t provide because they have so many students. 

5. My school did not have a tutoring program but you could stay after school with the teachers. I feel like I would have definitely benefited from such a program because I am very easily distracted I a lot of times procrastinate. This program would have forced me to sit with someone who would have encouraged me to focus and do my work on time and not procrastinate. Procrastinating can lead to putting stuff behind even if you don’t understand that hurts you in the long run.