After school

Tutoring program gives UGA students the opportunity to 'pour back' into children in the Athens community

The afternoon came together rapidly—volunteer mentors partnering with elementary students for homework help, excited readers pulling books off the shelves of the Lay Park library, and children rushing down the stairs to play basketball and have a snack after schoolwork was done.

This routine, on another autumn Wednesday, was all taking place at the Thomas Lay After-School Program. Every weekday during the academic year, volunteers spend about two hours providing individual tutoring and mentoring at the Thomas N. Lay Park Community Center, about a 15-minute walk north of the Arch.

Sponsored by the Honors Program, Thomas Lay is staffed each semester by about 300 undergraduates who work to create an atmosphere that encourages enthusiastic learning and play. The majority of children enrolled attend either Barrow Elementary or Clarke Middle, schools within Athens-Clarke County. “We might only get to see the kids for two hours a week, and we might only see them for a semester, but that time alone is

enough to make an impact,” said Taylor Pigg, the program’s fourth- and fifthgrade education coordinator and an Honors junior who is studying biology. “It’s really nice to be able to pour back into the kids who live here and become an actual part of the community,” said Katherine Shin, the program’s first- through third-grade education coordinator and an Honors junior studying early childhood education.

Spending time as a mentor is strengthening Katherine’s desire to be a teacher—and teaching her more about students than she expected. “It’s really nice to be able to pour back into the kids who live here and become an actual part of the community.” Katherine Shin Honors junior, early childhood education major, Thomas Lay's first- through third-grade education coordinator Story and photos by Kora Burton

From left to right: 1) Co-Friday project coordinator Susan Murley, who can always be found in the middle of the action, and co-executive director Sneha Gubbala exchange smiles as they address the kids before playtime; 2) young program participants enjoy time on the playground; 3) a volunteer reads The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney from Thomas Lay's library; 4) volunteer Brooke von Seeger plays football with two elementary schoolers; and 5) at snack time, head mentor Constance Sullivan talks to the kids about their day.

“It reinforced for me the aspect that children have lives outside of school and are not just sponges that absorb everything,” she said. “They already have things they are willing to contribute.”

Taylor and Katherine are two of Thomas Lay’s 11 executive board members—undergraduates who have spent two to three years mentoring elementary students through the program. While they all volunteer throughout the week—daily Thomas Lay operations are led by at least two head mentors and an executive board member—each has a favorite day with the kids. “I really like Thursdays because we have a cooking club,” Taylor said.

On Fridays, Thomas Lay partners with other UGA organizations to offer weekly clubs and enrichment programs. “Fridays are very close to my heart. They’re probably my favorite because you get to interact with the kids in a very different way than you would when you’re trying to do homework with them. You get to know their personalities,” said Sneha Gubbala, an Honors senior studying international affairs and political science. She and UGA senior Nia Freeman are co-executive directors of Thomas Lay.

“Being a mentor made it very clear to me that service is something I felt was missing from my life,” Sneha said. “No matter what I end up doing, service needs to be a part of it.”

Year after year—for the 13 years Thomas Lay has existed— and despite the daily chaos, there is something special about being a volunteer at Thomas Lay that keeps undergraduates coming back.

“It’s definitely the kids,” said Christian Sullivan, an Honors senior studying history, religion, and political science. He is one of Thomas Lay’s co-Friday project coordinators. “They’re smart, and they think about the world in a different way than many of us do. They constantly surprise me.”

“The kids keep me grounded, even when I’m super stressed and there’s a whole bunch going on,” said Keyra Moran, an Honors senior majoring in early childhood education and psychology and the program’s volunteer coordinator. “I really can’t emphasize enough how important this all is, not only for the kids but also for me.”