Volunteer Profile: Ariella Pasackow

Ariella is a Program Officer at RefugePoint and a Cambridge Mentor

 I found Enroot online after searching for volunteer opportunities with immigrants and refugees in the greater Boston area. I have tutored English Language Learners in the past, and currently work for a refugee resettlement agency in Cambridge, but was very excited to be working with young adults in my neighborhood in such a comprehensive and  holistic integration model.

 I was matched with a CRLS sophomore in March 2015, just three months after she arrived in the US with her family from India. Since then, we have met on a weekly basis to discuss her homework, job, and friends, along with everything she learns in the Leadership Seminar with Enroot. We’ve watched Bollywood movies and music videos together, walked around Harvard campus, and spent time with family and friends. Having both lived in India before moving to Cambridge, we talk a lot about her hometown, school, and life in Gujarat.

What excites me the most about Enroot is that they care about the whole student-not just grades or test scores. Through mentoring, tutoring, job opportunities, field trips, and seminars, students get 360 degrees of support on top of their typical school day. Full time staff are dedicated to student and volunteer success, and the impact is measurable. The students want to be there, the volunteers keep coming back, and the entire experience is positive, productive, and powerful.

Enroot is an incredible network of students, volunteers, staff and supporters; I am lucky to consider myself a part of the family!

Volunteer Profile: Jonathan Ho

Jonathan works as a Quality Manager and is a first-year Somerville Mentor

My student and I found that we both share a love of fine dining. Specifically, ramen. We've had opportunities to push each other whether it's in learning new SAT words and colloquialisms, eating absurd amounts of ramen, or standing up and publicly sharing our dreams in a ramen shop. Though I need to learn how to plan better (visiting a college during their winter break and sneaking into their empty buildings is fun, but not very helpful), we've had fun with these odd adventures. Throughout these times together we've been able to share about our families, passions, and interests and where we hope to be in the future. 

Enroot gives me an opportunity to connect with others, whether they are students, volunteers, or staff, in an informal way without agenda. I enjoy tutoring, but mentoring allows me to just spend life with someone and get to know them, and I am so thankful for the opportunity. It's a blessing to have a chance to just connect.   

After high school and college, I started losing community made up of people in my neighborhood. I started hanging out with people just like me and true neighborhood community started becoming harder and harder to find. I mean, neighborhood block parties are fun, but when do you get to consistently and meaningfully connect with your neighbors? Enroot is helping me meet my neighbors, to see the people who live in my city, whether they are volunteers or staff or the Enroot students. Enroot not only gives students opportunities to connect and become part of the community, but it helps me do the same. And not only do the staff at Enroot give you the opportunity, they also give you the support to do it well and so I'm also learning how to better connect with and build into the lives of others. 

Volunteer Profile: David Bach

David is studying to become a physical therapist at MGH Institute of Health Professions and is a mentor in Cambridge.

I am in my second year volunteering as a mentor with Enroot. My student came to the US from the Dominican Republic in the Fall of 2015. We meet weekly and have spent time practicing English, playing chess and card games, and when the weather allows, we like to go outside to play basketball. We have tried new foods together, gone ice skating, and have a trip planned to the Museum of Science for later this month. Volunteering with Enroot has been a very rewarding experience. Not only have I been able to create a strong mentorship bond with my student, but I also have become part of a great community of fellow mentors who are kind, creative, and strengthen our community. I feel fortunate to be a part of this community that makes a positive difference in the lives of so many young people.