Senior peer educators in the Learning Center (LC) are filled with nostalgia as they prepare to graduate and reminisce their time spent working in the LC; Many tutors and mentors work in the LC for two to three years, and make an impact on the Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) community.
Elizabeth Worth, a senior writing tutor, is on her seventh semester with the LC, and has tutored over 200 hours. Worth said, “I love my supervisor and the group of people that I work with, plus I find it very rewarding.”
Worth continued, “I love being a cheerleader for a student in order to give them the confidence that they need. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a student that was once really down on themselves, is now excited to learn and show you their progress.”
Senior Evan Bodi has worked in the LC since Jan. 2014. Bodi started as a math tutor, but has also tutored writing, business, and conversational English.
Describing one of his best tutoring moments Bodi said, “One time I was working a walk-in shift for math and was helping an older woman who was from the United Kingdom and decided to come back to school. She initially felt frustrated with what seemed like an impossibly difficult problem. We slowly went through the problem-solving steps and I re-worded some of my explanations to make more sense. Afterward, she looked relieved and said to me ‘I haven’t taken a math class in 40 years and you just made it all make sense.’ I just said, ‘that’s what we’re here for!’”
Senior math tutor Christopher Hakes has worked in the LC for three years. Hakes said that his “favorite part of being a tutor is seeing these students have success with their classes and knowing that tutoring has made a difference for them.”
Hakes’ best tutoring moment happened in Dec. 2013. “A student I worked with frequently for accounting emailed Kristina and Lori in the LC about the impact I had on them. To know how this student truly felt about our efforts in the LC is beyond words to how proud I felt,” Hakes said.
Erin Doherty, a mentor and a graduate student studying Business Administration, has been mentoring students with the LC for two years.
“I really like the environment working in the LC… everyone is very friendly and makes it a fun and comfortable place to work. I enjoy being a mentor because both the mentee and myself, as the mentor, can learn from each other and grow from building those relationships,” Doherty said. “My favorite moments as a mentor are when the individuals I work with thank me for my help. I can truly see that they are more confident with their abilities and it’s a great feeling knowing that I helped them.”
These tutors have directly seen the positive impact that peer education can have on students and their tutors or mentors.
