Tutoring Others is Keeping Me Going by Rachelle

Tutoring Others is Keeping Me Going by Rachelle - November 2022 Scholarship Essay

This fall I started tutoring in the Math Resource Center at my university. I was asked to apply last spring since I am a Mathematics major and have high math scores. I was apprehensive about applying because I have social anxiety and had never tutored someone I didn't know before. Still, I thought it may be a positive experience, and, if anything, I might learn to be less socially awkward.
I don't know if tutoring has done anything to combat my awkwardness, but it has surprisingly been the thing inspiring me this school year. I like guiding my peers through difficult problems and providing them with strategies to solve similar problems in the future. I feel satisfaction knowing they leave the Math Resource Center with a better understanding of the concepts. I also simultaneously strengthen my grasp on the concepts, which is an added bonus.
Moreover, tutoring has forced me out my shell a bit. I meet and assist new students every day. As I mentioned previously, I have social anxiety, so I am not one to go out and meet new people on my own. But this job has forced me to be more social and more comfortable talking to new people. I'm still pretty awkward, but I feel less anxiety around it.
Overall, tutoring is one of the things keeping me going this quarter and I am grateful for to put myself out there even if it's scary.