ENCOURAGING COMMUNITY By Toriu l'urrclt For many students, finding their first part-time job was part of their college experience; however, it could be difficult to find jobs with flexible hours to work around classes and studying. America Reads was a program that hoped to provide these types of jobs to student workers at Harding. America Reads worked to tutor students across White County in kindergarten through high school. Program coordinators placed Harding students in schools to work with individuals or groups of students struggling academically in various areas. Student directors junior Kimmi Hanners and senior Gabriella Niestrath said they originally heard about the program from announcements in chapel as freshmen. Along with the flexibility of the program, Hanners said she enjoyed working with students from a wide range of majors. "It has been cool to see students who are not education majors love the job," Hanners said. "We send students out of the little Harding bubble to all of the different schools to be able to work with kids. You are not just working with Harding students; you are actually working with people in the community." Niestrath said she appreciated the community connection the organization gave Harding students. She said she saw it as a way to provide role models and leave a positive impact on the children being tutored. "Ame1ica Reads allows for college students attending Harding to demonstrate the love and compassion of Christ in the schools in a more professional setting," Niestrath said. "When a tutor comes in, not only are you helping students with those subjects, but you are telling them that they are impo1tant enough to invest in. I think that is a very important part of our program." After transferring to Harding from a community college in Illinois, junior tutor Jillian Kissell sought a local job to become more involved in Searcy. After hearing about America Reads, Kissell began tutoring all around White County, serving as a student representative for Curtis Kindergarten and Preschool in Searcy during her senior year. As a student representative, Kissell worked to coordinate between the student directors, tutors, teachers and students to ensure efficient communication between the program and the school. Kissell said the best part of her job was the relationships she formed with her students. "The four-year-olds run up and hug me every time I come, and it just melts my heart," Kissell said. "I love getting to know and love on them, especially those in the more poverty-stricken areas. It encourages you, and it encourages the kids." LITEIL\T l'HE & ,\C.\DIDIICS i7:l
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