Ella Aizeki ’25 and Dahlia Shearer ’25 are leading the Reading Buddies volunteer program at Todd Elementary this year. They share their experiences leading other student volunteers, working with children, and getting out into the Beloit community.
Ella Aizeki, co-leader of Todd Reading Buddies, is a senior majoring in cognitive science and music.When did you get involved with Reading Buddies?
Ella: First semester of our freshman year, we both went to the involvement fair and saw the poster. I was like, “This is so cute and I would totally love to do this.” We both love working with kids. It was a great way to connect with the broader community and get off campus because I was wanting to do that [in college].
Dahlia: It was easy, too. Our freshman year, we didn’t have cars, but it’s an opportunity where you can get off campus and be able to walk to the school. It’s only two days a week, so it’s not a huge time commitment. We maybe only went once a week when we started out.
E: Our second semester freshman year, Shruthi Chandrasekar ’24 and Moon Sum ’24 asked us to lead it in our sophomore year.
What’s the best part?
D: I just love spending time with kids. It’s a chance to get off campus and hang out with really fun kids who all have different personalities and different backgrounds.
E: I also love working with the kids. They make me laugh every day. I’m sometimes tired, but when I go, it’s just so much fun, I’m always glad I went. It’s energizing and super cute. It’s such an eye-opening experience, too, of what life is actually like in the city of Beloit for someone who is being raised here. Understanding that a lot of these kids are growing up in poverty and in different conditions is important. Everyone at the Todd community is so nice and has been wonderful to work with.
There are many native Spanish speakers in Beloit, and Todd has a dual language program. Do you read in English and Spanish?
D: We read in mostly English. Sylvia López’s Spanish 275 class was also participating and was doing more Spanish speaking. I sometimes will read them a book in Spanish, because they do have them, but I also find that some of the kids that are in the dual language program don’t want to speak in Spanish because they’ve done it all day. Sometimes they just want to talk and not have to translate.
E: I’ve seen that some of our Reading Buddies who are native Spanish speakers will speak to the kids in Spanish and the kids have fun with that. Sometimes I’ll try to get the kids to read in Spanish and sometimes they’re just not into it that day.
How many other buddies are there?
D: Around 10 per day, Tuesdays and Thursdays. It definitely fluctuates depending on interest and commitment.
What’s involved in organizing Reading Buddies?
D: I think it’s being on top of things and having good organizational skills so that we can organize the days we’re going to meet with Mary Ellen Fuentes, who runs the after school program at Todd. Also learning more about other people’s dedication to things and how sometimes people won’t be as dedicated and how to manage that. Sometimes we’ll have to help more Buddies because of that, but we’re both willing to do that. It’s also reaching out to them to make sure they’re okay when they’re missing.
E: Learning how to communicate with a lot of people’s schedules is definitely tricky and a big learning curve, especially with the students who are not as communicative with us. Making sure to reach them and coordinate with everybody.
E: Usually we’ll ask the kids to pick their own college partner who they feel comfortable reading with. Sometimes that’s the same buddy as before, sometimes it’s someone new. Of course if there are fewer college students, there are two or three or four with one buddy. We always try to split it up however the students and the volunteers are most comfortable.
D: This semester, it’s been around two Todd students to every Beloit student.
What’s next for Reading Buddies?
D: Last semester, we had to find somebody to replace us while we were both abroad. Julia Weber ’26 wanted to lead, and we were hoping to get multiple students.
E: She was super awesome at stepping up and being excited about the program. She also got Sylvia involved as a faculty supervisor.
D: Sylvia and Suzanne Goebel met with us the fall semester before we were abroad and that’s when we told Sylvia about Reading Buddies, and Julia facilitated that mentorship with Sylvia. Next year, Julia will be back and leading. We’re hoping to find another student who is participating now who can lead as well. We just find that having two leaders is nice, especially since it’s two days a week.
What are you thinking of doing post-graduation, and has Reading Buddies influenced that decision?
D: I’m planning on going to nursing school. I was able to talk about being a leader for Reading Buddies in some of my applications and how I was able to manage being a leader. As a nurse, I’ll have to be able to talk to people of all ages, so I think Reading Buddies has been a good opportunity to practice that. I’ve always loved working with kids, so I’ve always sort of had that skill, but being able to practice that more has been fulfilling and fun for me. I’ve heard back from a few schools, but I haven’t fully decided where yet.
E: I’m going to get my teaching license and go to graduate school for elementary education at UC-Boulder, so I’ll be working with the ages that we’ve been reading with. That’s certainly in part because of my experience with Reading Buddies. I’ve loved working with them, and I just think it’s such a fun age range when they’re learning reading and getting excited about being able to share reading with other people, not just being read to. They’re so full of creativity and spunk, and I love them. I’m excited to start my career in education after I graduate. I didn’t think that was something I wanted to do before I came here.
