Working to provide education to all at CHOICES

By Tessa Gonzales

Edited by Lauren Quirici

I am working with a group called CHOICES, which was created by Melany Mendoza at Peck Middle School and is co-run by the Holyoke Community College.  The aim of CHOICES is to strengthen the desire of middle-school students to further their education, build long-lasting relationships with the students, and promote positive attitudes towards academic and social learning.  The program has been running for several years now, and includes a handful of site supervisors, as well as a large number of college/high school tutors to assist the children.

My role in this program is to recruit and organize new volunteer tutors into the program, provide them workshops and training, and keep up communication with my co-fellow Blair-Alexandria Cobb, a sophomore and friend who introduced me to the program, with community partner Melany Mendoza, and with the tutors.

At first, I was hesitant about the whole idea of tutoring middle-school aged children because I’ve always worked with elementary school-aged children, but once I began volunteering I found it to be a fulfilling and amazing experience. I felt strongly for the kids and how they have to continue to deal with a flawed education system, a challenging social and school environment, and the transitional process into adulthood.   Still, even as I tutored them, I felt that the kids were giving back so much more: they gave me the chance to make a difference in their lives.  I chose this role because I wanted to spread awareness about CHOICES and share my enthusiasm for being involved in these young adults’ lives.

At the beginning of the semester, I had written down a vague list of personal goals for myself, such as compassion, tolerance for diversity, and motivation to complete an object. However, after participating in a CBL assignment designed to help with this process, I have more accurately identified my goals as promoting interaction between MHC students and the Holyoke community, desire of students to fulfill their academic potential, and positive attitudes towards academic/social learning for students.  My goals are now more focused on positively impacting the students and staff at CHOICES, rather than just how the said goals can influence and benefit myself. Although it is quite difficult to achieve my more idealistic long-term goals, I find that small acts, such as saying something encouraging to a student or offering encouraging advice to a tutor, can still make a difference.

Some challenges that I’ve noted are an occasional lack of communication that can hinder the flow of the program, and some behavioral problems that occur among the students.  Balancing schoolwork with CBL work often presents issues with time management, but this only challenges me to better organize my schedule.  Lastly, I’ve found that learning to navigate the business side of relationships with fellow peers and supervisors was a bit of a challenge. All in all, I have learned from the experience.

So far, being a co-fellow for CHOICES has changed my perspective of the world.  It has helped to strengthen my administrative and logistical skills, as well as helping me to utilize my social network.  It has given me the chance to stand up for what I strongly support and believe in: a decent education for children of all socioeconomic levels and cultures.  It has given me the chance to connect to mentors and supervisors who hold the same passion as I do, and students who don’t realize their potential for growth.

I find myself often becoming frustrated that these kids have to deal with bureaucratic systems that lack the same resources that I was given as a child. When I see students who give up hope in the idea of going to college, or even high school, I become disheartened by society and what it fails to offer these deserving kids.  Throughout my experience, I have learned to claim these kids as my own, and thus, I hope to serve “my kids” through my work as a CBL fellow for CHOICES.