Andrew reflects on how his journey was not always smooth sailing, but how it was necessary in transforming him into the person he is today.
Second-year student Zora Williams is using her voice to bring more mental health and nutrition programming to San Diego Mesa College. Williams was elected president of the college’s Associated Students (AS) for the 2024-2025 academic year and serves as the college’s student representative on the San Diego Community College District Board of Trustees.
Sometimes, you hear a story that makes you want to know more. Kevin Gonzalez has such a story. The last time this story was updated, San Diego Mesa College student Kevin Gonzalez was a 15 year-old heading off to Massachusetts to complete his high school education. In the ensuing years, he has travelled to the other side of the world, built houses, but remained in close contact with his Mesa College professors and connections he made while on campus.
The San Diego Community College District has appointed four new student trustees for the upcoming academic year. Dalia Ramirez (San Diego City College), Zora Williams (San Diego Mesa College), Hailey Hua (San Diego Miramar College), and Haydee Zuniga (San Diego College of Continuing Education), will be sworn in during the June 20 SDCCD Board of Trustees meeting.
March 13, 2018
Helena Almassy graduated in 2017 from San Diego Mesa College. That same year, she was awarded the 3CSN Learning Assistance Project Tutor of the Year Award at Tutor Expo. While she was a student at Mesa, she held positions as a Peer Navigator and as a Tutor for Math and Spanish in the MT2C. She is currently in her first year at UCSD and thinks often of her time at Mesa.
“I grew so much from my experience at Mesa - I arrived right after high school - and it has led me to where I am today, with a strong passion for education and in particular math education,” she said.
Becoming a tutor never really crossed Almassy’s mind, until her mentor and supervisor asked if she would be interested. She also happened to see a flyer at Mesa at the same time, and thought should consider the opportunity. Her experience as a tutor began in the Writing Center, and then she started to focus on helping students with Spanish and Math. She states that the reason she loves tutoring so much is because she likes to make a difference in the lives of the individual students. Recalling from her own experience, she feels that math anxiety is a real thing, and she likes to reduce that anxiety for other students.
In addition to helping students in a one on one setting, she also takes time for opportunities that assist in educating larger crowds. Almassy will be keynoting a portion of the upcoming two-day 2018 Southern California Tutor Expo at Santiago Canyon College in Orange County, CA from April 13 – 14.
With her background speaking four different languages (French, German, English and Spanish), she states that she can easily relate to students and people from other countries and communicate effectively with them, particularly if English is not their first language. She believes that the growing confidence she sees from these students and the community is a win-win, as it helps everyone build their knowledge of these subjects. Almassy also feels that is helps her reach her goal as a tutor, which is to create a supportive and empowering atmosphere. She mentions that math does not come easy to her, and she even tells her students that math makes her laugh.
“I tell people that math makes me laugh. Mostly because it can look as if it's beating you up and putting you down with an overwhelming amount of information, but then there's a point you reach that helps ’reveal’ the simplified version of math. So you could say that I like math because it makes me laugh.”
During her free time, she still stays busy with other creative projects and activities that she’s enthusiastic about – like surfing, aerial skills, and writing. One specific project she’s currently working on is a research project through her Education Studies course at UCSD. The course aims to improve tutoring techniques and programs so they are of the highest quality.
If you would like more information about the free tutoring offered at MT2C (Mesa Tutoring and Computing Centers), please contact the Instructional Learning Assistance Coordinator, Mark Manasse at mmanasse@sdccd.edu.
Tags: MT2C, Southern California Tutor Expo, Student Tutors, Peer Navigator
Jennifer Nichols Kearns
Director of Communications
jnkearns@sdccd.edu
(619) 388-2759
Andrew reflects on how his journey was not always smooth sailing, but how it was necessary in transforming him into the person he is today.
Mesa College student Raine Porter is the newest recipient of the College Reading & Learning Association’s (CRLA) Outstanding Tutor Award. Established in 1995 by CRLA’s International Tutor Training Program Certification (ITTPC) committee who review over 1200+ certified programs. The award is given annually to one undergraduate peer tutor, who contributes to the academic success of their peers. CRLA felt that Raine was a “true representative of what an outstanding tutor should be,” motivating and inspiring others through her passion and dedication to her work.
Helena Almassy graduated in 2017 from San Diego Mesa College. That same year, she was awarded the 3CSN Learning Assistance Project Tutor of the Year Award at Tutor Expo. While she was a student at Mesa, she held positions as a Peer Navigator and as a Tutor for Math and Spanish in the MT2C. She is currently in her first year at UCSD and thinks often of her time at Mesa.
