Kaitlynn Chopra sighed in frustration as she looked at the student she was tutoring. The girl did not understand the math question she was doing. She couldn’t even understand the question linguistically, let alone mathematically, because her English wasn’t strong enough. 

“It kinda made me take a step back and be in her shoes,” Chopra said. “Personally, it’s definitely helped me be more understanding and want to help others.” 

Chopra, a junior political science and policy studies double major from Oneonta is the program coordinator for the Young Scholars program at the North Side Learning Center, also known as the NSLC. It’s run by the Office of Engagement Programs at Syracuse University.  

A group of SU undergraduate students, including Chopra, spend Monday and Wednesday evenings at the center, where they tutor high school girls that attend school in the Syracuse City School District. Most of the girls are refugees from Somalia, but some are also from the Congo, Burma and Syria.  

As the program coordinator, Chopra oversees mentors and volunteers at the center. She also works in the office, recruits students and ensures everyone is having a positive experience in the program.  

Chopra began volunteering as a mentor in the fall semester of her sophomore year. After enjoying the experience, the former program coordinator asked Chopra to be the next coordinator and she accepted.  

Being a supervisor is a very different experience from simply mentoring, Chopra said.  

“I get more feedback from the mentors on the difference that they’re making, whereas being a mentor, I knew the difference I felt I was making and the people I connected with,” Chopra said. “As program coordinator, I think it’s really moving and nice to see that there are all these mentors that really feel that they’re making a positive difference in the community.” 

Her volunteering experiences pushed her to intern this summer at the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, a refugee resettlement agency in Albany.   

Communicating with the girls at the center gets hard at times because of the language barrier, but Chopra said it is still possible to interact without verbal communication. 

“You’re in this space and you’re trying to help someone else succeed. That, I think, helps you connect to them,” Chopra said. “They’re high school-aged girls who have the same thoughts and issues that we had just a few years ago, so it’s interesting that even though they’re from these different cultures, we’re still more alike than we are different.”

Published on November 8, 2016 at 8:11 pm

Contact Saniya: ssmore@syr.edu