Born in Colombia, Laura Quiñones came to the U.S. with her parents at age 7. She knew English words, but needed practice talking conversationally. She learned quickly, though; and years later, she began helping other Hispanic children.

As a sophomore, she received help with essay-writing and SAT-prep from the Latino Student Fund (LSF), which provides free tutoring to under-served Hispanic/Latino youth. She graduated last month from Paul VI High but, when she was still a junior, she tutored second- and third-graders in LSF’s Saturday tutoring program in Washington, D.C.

This past school year, as a senior, she tutored kindergarten and first-graders, plus other grades, as needed. “I’ve always loved little kids and I thought it was a good way to get service hours,” said Quiñones. “I liked the program’s organizers, knew they needed volunteers and wanted to help the Latino community.”

She helped the second- and third-graders with their homework, developing their writing skills and assisting them with social studies and essays. She helped the first-graders better their reading skills and worked with them on English and math. And she read books, played word games and did arts-and-crafts activities with the kindergartners.

“The hardest part was getting their trust, at first, because the children were either shy or didn’t want to be there,” said Quiñones. “So they had to see me as a friend so they could talk to me about their family lives and interests. Once they felt comfortable with me, they could learn and have fun.”

What gave her the most satisfaction, she said, was “having them tell me, ‘My teacher says I really improved in reading’ or ‘I got a good grade on my test.’ So their achievements made them feel good about being there for tutoring and kept them motivated. And their parents told me they noticed improvement in their children’s studies, which made me feel good, too.”

THE TUTORING PROGRAM was held every Saturday, from 10 a.m.-noon, throughout the school year, and served some 120 pre-K-12th-grade students from all over the Washington Metropolitan area. On the campus of the National Cathedral School, they received help with their homework, math and literacy skills and learned how to apply to college and seek financial aid.

“I love the program, the people and the students,” said Quiñones. “Most of these kids come from low-income houses, so it’s important for them to achieve in school and do well so they can have a good future. I know how hard it is to learn a language not native to you. When I first came to America, students and teachers at my school helped me, too, and I want to do that for these kids and be a role model for them.”

According to LSF spokeswoman Sarah Floyd, “Counting its college prep, scholarship and outreach programs, during the past two decades, LSF has helped more than 2,000 kids get into private schools, graduate from high school and go to college.” (For more information, see www.latinostudentfund.org).

Floyd said 100 percent of students participating in LSF’s tutoring program graduate from high school, compared to 85 percent of Hispanic students nationally. And, she added, “Over 90 percent of LSF students go on to college, compared to less than half of Hispanic high-school graduates nationally.”

BESIDES TUTORING, Quiñones also spreads awareness of the program by telling various companies about what it does. And even though she’ll attend JMU in the fall – majoring in communications toward an eventual career in public relations and marketing – she hopes to continue tutoring with LSF during the summers.

She said the whole experience taught her “to be patient with other people. And I’ve acquired a lot of confidence to be able to speak to people about the program and talk with people of different ages. I’m a lot more open now.”

“I’ve also learned the importance of giving back to your community and helping those in need,” continued Quiñones. “The tutors aren’t just Latino and don’t need to speak Spanish. So if any other students are looking for ways to get service hours, meet lots of new people or help others, they should check out the Latino Student Fund.”