LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 13 At the moment the peer-to-peer program is still in its infancy, and I'm still working through some chal- lenges to get it all set up. Currently I'm preparing to pitch the program as a club where tutors can get trained, and once ready, can offer their help for free in exchange for community service hours. One of my main goals for this program is for it to help as many students as possible, and for it to be available to any- one who needs it. Especially at the high school level I have found that tutoring can be extremely expensive, so kids who can't afford it may not get the crucial help they need. The issue with this is, some potential tutors might need extra incentives so they will want to help, and I figured service hours would be a fair payment as they could help students for college requirements. Finding tutors is another challenge which I can foresee in the future. My highschool is very small, and I can see it being very hard to find a large enough pool of tutors to cover every subject where there is a need. This problem is still something that I'm working on try- ing to find a solution too. My two long term hopes for this project is that if it continues past my graduation, and that if it succeeds it will inspire other schools to start similar programs. This tutoring program was largely inspired not just from my want to help others, but from my love for education and academics. Academics have been, espe- cially recently, a large part of my life. Last year I took my first ever chemistry class and found that I really en- joyed it. By the end of the year I had studied extremely hard and was able to score a 100 on the Regents. Ever since I have been researching ways in which I could use chemistry in my future career. At the moment I think I would like to study Biochemistry and go into pharma- ceuticals to either research new medicines, or become a pharmacist. Both of these options would allow me to help people using a knowledge of chemistry, and applying it in a more medical sense. The other option I am thinking about is teaching chemistry to help more kids find the same love that I have found for this ex- tremely interesting subject, or just school in general. Another opportunity I have been offered is that I am able to sit on a couple boards within my town. I am the student board member for Living ADK, which is a non-profit organization that helps with projects across the adirondacks. Being on this board has helped show me more ways that others can be helped. It has been extremely interesting to learn about some of the more economic ways that are used to aid people and busi- nesses, as these are subjects that I did not know much about before. Living ADK has inspired me even further to continue helping others, even if it is on a smaller scale then most of their projects. After a lot of these more academic projects I have had to find ways to wind down and take breaks, some- thing I think all students should do. Some of these aca- demic breaks come in the form of sports. In the winter I ski and race, all though I'll admit I'm not that good, but skiing in general has always drawn me in as it is a freeing sport for me. In the spring I'll also run track, as it gives me some more physical goals rather than just mental ones. One other big activity in my free time is reading, it serves as both a way to keep my general knowledge up, and to see things through others perspectives. Recently I read Gene Machine: The Race to Decipher the Secrets of the Ribosome by Venki Ramakrishan, which is a biography of a biochemist who won the Nobel prize for discovering the structure of the ribo- some. I also like to read about psychology in Malcolm Gladwell's books, Talking to Strangers and The Tipping Point, which help give me a better understanding of how we as people think and work. Of course for escap- ism I'll turn to fiction, and often I like mysteries since they make me think. One of my favorite mysteries was One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus. I want to help others because it is a great legacy to leave. The tutoring project is the mark I'd like to leave on my school, that help can be given to anyone who needs it. Going into my future I hope I will be able to continue helping as many people as possible with whatever career I end up going into. t Cameron when he was younger living in Costa Rica. Cameron performing titration on a sample of snow solution to determine its pH for his science fair project. Cameron working with his 7th and 8th grade math teacher on the peer-to-peer tutoring program.

• Cover