Impact by Alyssa

Impact by Alyssa - January 2017 Scholarship Essay

My freshman year I began tutoring and mentoring students at my former middle school, Margarita Middle School. I aspired to prepare them for high school and all its challenges, however the more I worked with them, the more I realized these middle school students were scared to come to high school. They would share their fears of bullying and harassment.   
It started to open my eyes to some of the problems of high school and I wanted to make a difference; I wanted middle school students to be excited to go to high school, not fearful. I joined the “Peer Leaders” program in which I help improve campus culture. Along with other Peer Leaders, I welcome freshmen to their new campus by giving them tours, visiting their classes to update them about school events, and mentoring them as they take on the transition from middle school to high school. As a Peer Leader, I offer free tutoring to any student who needs help. As an example, I tutored a kid in three classes he was failing. I met with him about six times a week for four months, and he ended the year with two A’s and one B in the classes he was failing.
I was also able to get him to tell me about the bullying he was experiencing. He told me other students had forced him to inappropriately dance with girls at homecoming, videoed it, and sent it around school. He was nervous to tell me who had done it because he so ashamed. But, after working to earn his trust, he finally told me and together we reported it and got the issue solved. I also invited him to another Peer Leader program called “Lunch Bunch” where every Tuesday we invite students to come hang out and play games and do activities with us. This makes them feel welcomed and even allows them to make some friends. This student made some friends and felt more welcomed on my high school campus.