Alexandra Brown Is the May 2014 YouthBuild Philly Volunteer of the Month!  Alexandra is studying Anthropology and Human Biology at Temple University, and has been volunteering at YouthBuild Philly since January.  All of us at YouthBuild thank her for the hours of tutoring and valuable service she’s provided at our school this year!  Below, Alexandra reflects on her time at YouthBuild so far:

Volunteering at YouthBuild has been one of the best decisions I’ve made. I attended after-school tutoring sessions every Tuesday and Thursday expecting to tutor students, which I did, but I always leave with new learned information. For example, I’ve learned that YouthBuild students are some of the most driven and eager students that I’ve ever witnessed. I hope that every student that I’ve worked with knows that they have all impacted me in some way.

One particular interaction was especially meaningful to me: I had been assigned to work with a specific student. Even though I was overly excited to help her with her homework, she didn’t seem to reciprocate the same feelings towards me. It took a little bit of warming up but once we broke the ice, I began to see her become more comfortable with my help and presence. Now, every time we see each other she greets me with a warm hello! It meant a lot to me that she allowed me to gain her trust. 

The time that I felt I was making the biggest difference was when I led the Interview Etiquette Workshop during Saturday School. The fact that the participating students were so engaged in the presentation really made me feel like I contributed something worthwhile to the YouthBuild community.  I am so thankful to everyone at YouthBuild for allowing me into their school and into their community. I really appreciate every single person that I’ve had the pleasure of working with! 

Interested in volunteering at YouthBuild Philly?  Learn more here.