N. is a non-profit organization that provides free books and free after school tutoring to disadvantaged children in Greater New Haven. Over 500 students come for one-on-one tutoring sessions for one or more hours per week to one of our four locations. Children tutored at New Haven Reads come from various grade levels, from varying socio-economic levels, and from diverse ethnic backgrounds. We match our students with volunteer tutors from across our community. For the past three years Amanda has been the part of a dedicated and consistent team of tutors who donate their time every week to provide one-to-one tutoring to students in need of reading help. In addition to the regular hours she commits to each week, Amanda will happily fill in for other tutors when her schedule allows. So many of our students depend on the nurturing environment to help shore up their confidence in addition to the reading help that they require. Amanda is a patient and kind tutor. She has worked with students who have great difficulty focusing. While these students are a challenge, she has taken the time to adjust strategies to suit her students needs and is unwilling to give up on them or their learning. Amanda takes our suggestions openly and willingly. She helps create a safe environment so students can focus on their own learning and not worry about wrong answers or missteps along the way. I hope Amanda will stick around for a long time. She is a bright light and full of energy and it is her kind of demeanor that we need to help our learning environment thrive each week.