How to help others and yourself.

Are you good at academics? Are you interested in being of service to your fellow man? Are you just plain broke? All the above?

If so, maybe you'd like to become a Peer Mentor to help guide students on their career path, or an AVID tutor to help struggling students in their studies. AWC is currently hiring for these two positions, which are funded under the federal grant project called Partner Advancing Completion through Transfer Opportunities (PACTO).

The goal of peer tutoring is to promote the success of students participating in the PACTO pilot cohort. This grant program supports student learning by strengthening educational skills, and it provides services to students in promoting retention and completion of a bachelor's degree.

"I chose to be a peer mentor because I remember my first year in college, and I had very little knowledge," says Alejandra Gutierrez, a peer mentor here at AWC. "I then met a friend who was a mentor, and she took me under her wing and became my mentor. I learned how to find and use resources, and I found that I love helping people and watching them succeed."

Peer tutoring helps students make the most of their study time while providing an enhanced understanding of the material.

"When I heard about the opportunity to be an AVID Peer Mentor, I chose to apply because having a mentor impacted me," said Gutierrez, "and I wanted to give back by helping students who are in the same position that I was in my first semester year in college."

Academic peer tutors learn to work with students individually or in small groups. They also learn to cooperate with the staff and supervisors, to communicate clearly and to have excellent customer service skills. Applicants must be dependable and have the ability to tutor students in their 100- and 200-level classes.

AWC is looking for tutors in the areas of math, science, social sciences and language arts. Tutors earn $12/hour and are scheduled to work 4-19 hours/week. (New tutors are limited to 4-8 hours/week.) Usually, Tutors and Mentors are hired in December for the upcoming spring semester or in May to begin the following fall.

Applications are being accepted anytime at the NAU-Yuma Facility Office (an AWC Yuma Partner) in AC 256 or at NAU-Yuma Enrolment Services upstairs in the 3C building. Broke? Be a tutor or mentor

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