Title/School: Undergraduate Student, University of Washington. Oceanography Major and Marine Biology Minor.
Reading Coach: September 2010-June 2013, Summer of 2010 and 2011
Site Assistant: September 2013-June 2015
Team Read Ambassador: September 2010-June 2015
I can clearly remember when Team Read came to my middle school to recruit new tutors during my eighth-grade year. I initially wanted to join Team Read because I wanted to help the elementary students who were in a situation that I once was in. I remembered how hard it was in elementary school when everything was based on reading, even the story problems in math. I couldn’t ask my parents for help on my homework since they couldn’t understand English that well. I wanted to give the students the helping hand that I wasn’t fortunate enough to have at my elementary school.
Team Read is not only a program where I got to learn how to tutor, but it also indirectly taught me a lot of other skills. Since Team Read was my first job, through the program I could learn what it was like to be employed and take on the responsibilities of having a job. I learned what it felt like to earn a paycheck for the first time through Team Read. Being in Team Read also taught me different communication skills. Through tutoring, I learned how to communicate with different people and how to work with different students. I was also able to gain unforgettable relationships as a reading coach and site assistant, during ambassador meetings, or at other Team Read events. The relationships and bonds I created are probably the most memorable aspect of my Team Read career.
Team Read was a program that made me realize how much I enjoyed teaching. Because of Team Read, I found that I wanted to pursue a career that also involved some form of teaching. It was one of the steps that shaped me into taking the path I am on today in trying to becoming an oceanography researcher and professor. I will never forget the fun times I had in Team Read. I would always walk into the cafeteria at the elementary school greeting the students, site coordinator, and peer tutors with a smile on my face.