Honoring peer tutors this National Tutor Appreciation Week

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 7, 2024) — Each year, the first full week of October is designated as National Tutor Appreciation Week, a time to honor the invaluable contributions of tutors who support students’ academic journeys. At the University of Kentucky, we recognize this week not just as a celebration, but as a reminder of the critical role tutoring plays in fostering student success across our campus.

Tutors are more than just academic guides; they serve as mentors who help bridge the gap between classroom instruction and individual learning. By offering personalized assistance, tutors help students tackle challenges, improve their grades and develop skills that are crucial for success in higher education and beyond. Their work fosters a sense of community, encouraging collaboration and peer support among students.

The university offers a variety of tutoring resources designed to meet the diverse needs of our student body. At a glance, these resources include:

• Transformative Learning: Transformative Learning (TL), housed in the Office for Student Success, is a centralized student support unit on campus, a student’s one-stop shop for on-campus academic resources.  
  • The Study-Peer Tutoring: Free, drop-in peer tutoring for a variety of 100 and 200-level math, science and business courses.
  • Common Hour Study Group: Large group tutoring sessions for specific classes facilitated by peer tutors at The Study.
  • Supplemental Instruction: Weekly peer-led group study sessions for various courses.
  • Presentation U: Free peer tutoring for communication and composition assignments in any form for any course, including research papers, essays, lab reports, presentations, infographics, ePortfolios and iPad-related projects. 
• The Writing Center: Virtual and in-person assistance with beginning, developing or reviewing writing projects for any course.
• Mathskellar: Support for students in all 100-level math courses, as well as MA 213 and MA 214.
• General Chemistry Learning Center: One-on-one support for students enrolled in general chemistry courses.

As we celebrate National Tutor Appreciation Week, it’s essential to reflect on the impact tutors have on our campus community. Their commitment to student success reinforces our mission as a university to empower students to reach their full potential. In doing so, we spoke with peer tutors to learn more about how they became tutors, what motivates them and their go-to piece of tutoring advice they have for UK students. 

Ana Carolina de Souza, pre-calculus tutor 

UKNow: How did you get connected with Transformative Learning?

Carolina de Souza: As a freshman, I was looking for a job on campus and found the opportunity to be a tutor. I was a tutor for free at my high school in Brazil, so being paid to do that at UK seemed like an amazing opportunity!

UKNow: What is your go-to piece of tutoring advice for students?

Carolina de Souza: Consistency. If you compromise by doing a little bit every day, it is infinitely better than waiting for when you think there's no way out. I promise if you go step by step and really put effort into it from the beginning, things will go very smoothly. You are the only one responsible for your success, and we are resources to help you make that happen.

UKNow: What would you tell a student who is nervous about reaching out to TL for help?

Carolina de Souza: I would say, first, our main goal is to make you feel comfortable about your classes, we are grateful for the opportunity to teach fellow students who are going through something we just did. We got you; we understand you and this is a judgment-free area. The only thing you need to do is put real effort into it and seek help.

Adalyn Woeste, peer tutor at Presentation U and embedded tutor for CIS 110

UKNow: How did you get connected with Transformative Learning? 

Woeste: I was initially connected with Transformative Learning by taking advantage of their services as a freshman. I found them extremely helpful and wanted to help provide their services to UK students. 

UKNow: What inspired you to become a tutor?

Woeste: I wanted to become a tutor because I love helping students reach their full potential and I am the product of many tutoring sessions myself.

Kathryn Vogt, peer tutor at Presentation U

UKnow: What inspired you to become a tutor?

Vogt: It gives me great joy to help other people and to see them succeed when they thought they couldn't. As an out-of-state student, I feel more connected to campus and my peers by being a tutor. Both of those things are important to me as a student, and I felt that I would be able to get that out of being a part of TL.

UKNow: What would you tell a student who is nervous about reaching out to TL for help?

Vogt: I would let them know that we are always more than happy to see students and what we want is for them to succeed and by engaging in our services, they will succeed. 

UKNow:  What is your go-to tutoring advice?

Vogt: My advice is to break things down to the most basic units they can be. If you can understand exactly what the professor wants to see, then it will make the process of completing the assignment that much easier.

With help from tutors like Kathryn, Ana and Adalyn, UK can create a supportive environment where every student has the resources they need to succeed. For more information on tutoring services and to learn how you can get involved during National Tutor Appreciation Week, visit the University of Kentucky Tutoring and Academic Resources web page here.