Enroot's Mentors and Tutors

This year, Enroot's incredible force of 175 mentors and tutors will work with out students 1:1 each week. Mentors provide support in applying to college, setting goals, and navigating a new community. Tutors provide academic coaching to students in subjects ranging from English to AP Physics. 

Fun facts about this years mentors:

• Our volunteers speak 17 different languages
• Volunteers have lived in 38 different countries
• Enroot volunteers work in a diverse range of professional fields, from healthcare to education
• 75% of our volunteers live and/or work in Cambridge or Somerville

Mentors and Tutors Professional Fields

Our work would not be possible without the time our volunteers generously give each week and we could not be more grateful for their dedication and support- thank you Enroot volunteers!

Enroot Students: Where in the world?

Enroot has received a record number of applications this year from students at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School an Somerville High School. We're thrilled to welcome our newest group of students as we kicked off both Leadership Programs this past month, including our cohort of Peer Leaders.

Enroot students are all new immigrants to the United States living in Cambridge or Somerville. This year, over 130 students applied to Enroot, from 24 countries, speaking over 18 native languages. 

Students' Countries of Origin

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Languages Spoken by Students

Alumnus Reflects on Time in Enroot

Enroot alumnus Jean emigrated from Haiti in 2005 half way through the school year at the request of his father, who was eager for him to access a better education. When he arrived he spoke almost no English and lived with his aunt, who did not speak any Creole or French. This made communication with his official guardian extremely limited.

Jean also had major challenges transitioning to his new school, since he did not know any other students and had such limited English. For the first few months instead of going to the cafeteria for lunch, he wandered the halls and sat on a bench out of site.

““I had lunch money but I couldn’t go get it since I didn’t speak any English and I didn’t know how to order. So I would just go sit on a bench. I didn’t know anybody. I was afraid – what if I say the wrong thing, order the wrong food – what if they don’t understand me. I did this for my first 2-3 months.””

Jean was welcomed into the Enroot program a few months after arriving and participated for 2 and half years and graduated in 2008. As part of his Enroot experience, Jean worked as an intern at the Cambridge Finance Department for two years in Cambridge City Hall, helping residents over the phone and in person with information about taxes and water bills. Excited about a career in this area, he attended the University of Massachusetts at Boston and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance. During college, he was able to use the connections he made and skills he developed as an Enroot student to obtain a part-time position in the Finance Department in the City of Cambridge. After graduating he was hired full-time in their Auditing Department. Last year Jean was proud to be awarded "2017 Outstanding City Employee of the Year" by Cambridge City Manager Louis D. Pasquale, who had helped supervise Jean years ago as an Enroot intern.

Jean credits Enroot for his understanding of how to work in an office and how to be a professional. He also said his mentor was pivotal in this phase of life, as an adult he worked closely with over 2.5 years and who helped him navigate key parts of the post-secondary process, like the college essay and selection process.

“​​​​​​​“The top two things I’ve learned at Enroot are to believe in yourself and that teamwork is very important. Starting with my internship through Enroot, I was able to learn how to work in an office and how to be professional. In our meetings at Enroot I’ve also learned a lot from guests that came to help us understand what it takes to be a professional. After my internship at the finance department, they offered me a part time job as an intern, with my body of work which I’ve learned from my days at Enroot I was able to get a full time job at the Auditing Department. My advice (to current students) is to be patient, believe in yourself and know that at Enroot you have an amazing group of people who genuinely care for you and will get the best out of you.””

— Jean, Enroot Alumnus Class of 2008

Read more about how Enroot supports immigrant students like Jean in building strong social and emotional skills in a feature by United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley.