Mariah Rodríguez

11th Grade, Odessa High School, Odessa, Texas The Impact of IDRA Valued Youth Partnership

The impact that a single student can have on another is amazing. Being a junior and being able to teach and watch my kindergartner tutee grow and learn has given me a sense of succeeding.

The IDRA Valued Youth Partnership has impacted lots of lives because of the opportunities it gives students like us. The best part of the opportunity is giving us a salary to help us out in a way and also the free laptops to help us in school, especially since everything is electronics right now. I’m super thankful for that.

However not only does IDRA impact us by giving us tools and resources but it also allows us the opportunity to follow a career path in teaching. I somewhat struggled to find a passion for what I would want to be in the rest of my life. Having the privilege to sit down with my tutees and help them out to understand has assured me of my path.

Every time I walk into their classroom and see their excitement coming to me to read or work on their sight words or help them understand brings me so much joy. It shows me I’m doing my best, and they actually want to learn with me.

The first tutee I ever met was Anna.* She is a social butterfly, but she is incredibly open to learning anything. She is very smart and motivated to do work. She loves doing her sight words and reading little reader books. I am overly blessed to have a beautiful little girl to start with. Everything in the process has been so amazing and full of memories.

Taking this class my junior year was the best decision I made. It surprised me with my growth from when I began to now. All the effects in my life have made me proud to say I am an IDRA Valued Youth Partnership tutor. It is going to be a sad day to have to let go of my tutee, because she was my first student. From all the laughs we had, to me bringing them small gifts just to see a smile brighten up. Even on her bad days with her trusting me, I’m glad to say I help her through tough times.

The Valued Youth Partnership has given me so much more than a chance to work with kids and discover my passion for teaching. It has given me a chance to be somewhat financially independent. I have gotten to open my first bank account and learned how to spend and manage money. I am so grateful for the opportunity that IDRA has given me. This is an experience that I will continue to cherish and value.

YVP has been a wonderful experience. My tutees have been a blessing to help me grow as a future teacher and bring a smile on my face, to even my teacher being wonderful and helpful. Overall, the impact has been amazing, and I don’t know what I would do without this program and my tutee from laughter, the bad days and the good days.

The IDRA Valued Youth Partnership has impacted lots of lives because of the opportunities they give students like us… I somewhat struggle to find a passion for what I would want to be the rest of my life. Having the privilege to sit down with my tutees and help them out to understand has assured me of my path.

* Name changed for privacy

See color highlights flier for 2023 (pdf).

See the booklet with all the winning essays from 2023 (pdf).

The IDRA Valued Youth Partnership is an internationally-recognized cross-age tutoring program. According to the Valued Youth creed, all students are valuable, none is expendable. The lives of more than 725,000 children, families and educators have been positively impacted by the program.

Valued Youth Partnership

Mariah Rodríguez – 2023 First Place High School Essay Winner

Mariah Rodríguez

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