My tutee, Alvaro, and me at Gillete Stadium in 2018. We were at the Kraft Foundation's Myra Kraft Community MVP awards banquet.

I joined EV Kids as a tutor when I was a freshman at Harvard College, and I didn't know then how it would transform both my life as well as the life of my tutee. I joined EV Kids because I recognized the importance of mentorship in my own youth, and how my road to success was lined with countless teachers, mentors, and family who encouraged me along the way. This was my chance to pay it forward.

I was matched with Alvaro (then a 7th grader) and once a week we met up for tutoring. It was tough at first! Alvaro was quiet. Getting him to say anything took a lot of effort and flare. But Alvaro was eager for connection. He was eager to learn and to improve his academic work. He was eager to talk about soccer. Slowly, but surely, Alvaro and I got to know each other. 

Over the course of the next four years, Alvaro and I continued meeting weekly. We met weekly for 4 years! You can imagine the incredible growth I saw in this young man. He grew in his self-confidence. His study skills became robust and consistent. While still shy, Alvaro was more open to the idea of talking to people. Central to our success, and paramount to the success of EV Kids, is the idea that relationships matter. I learned to trust Alvaro, and Alvaro learned to trust me. We could lean on each other. 

I was sad to leave Alvaro when I graduated from college, but by that time he was ready to work diligently with his next tutor towards his next goal: college. Thanks to EV Kids' continued support and the start of its College Success Program, Alvaro was provided the resources to visit colleges, apply to school, and get accepted. But here's the thing: it wasn't just Alvaro. 100% of EV Kids have graduated high school over the last decade and matriculated into a 2 or 4-year college program!

My work with Alvaro inspired me to become a high school math teacher, and during my years as a teacher in Cambridge, I've been able to stay in touch with Alvaro. I saw him enter the world of college at UMass Boston and then Southern New Hampshire University. I've seen him balance work with school work. Most excitingly, I've seen Alvaro apply to become a an EV Kids tutor! This is the most rewarding aspect for me: Alvaro is now paying it forward by serving as an EV Kids tutor.

I am also happy to share that I've been able to continue supporting EV Kids as a board member. Serving on the board for the last three years has been incredibly rewarding and has given me a greater perspective of the broad-reaching impact that EV Kids has. I'm lucky to help plan for the future of EV Kids!

EV Kids does incredible things. It gives kids hope and foundational resources to succeed. It builds an important community of trust, support, and compassion. EV Kids means a lot to me, and I hope you will join me in continuing its work.