Helping the community is something Mercer University takes pride in. One way students can get involved is by tutoring at some of the local schools here in Macon. I spoke with one student who dedicates her time to helping others.

Julia Stechly: I’m Julia Stechly and I’m a sophomore at Mercer. I tutor at Ingram Pye and Alex II. I’ve been tutoring here since September of last year. I really like helping kids and seeing them improve throughout their reading and other skills by our impact on them. I’ve seen a lot of kids here go from not being able to read a sentence to progressing throughout and reading a whole book by themselves without messing up, or little to no problems reading.

Mercer is partnered with United Ways Read2Suceed program, which focuses on helping students in kindergarten to 3rd grade learn how to read. Julia also noted that this program is very important for the kids the community.

Julia: Just having college students come in to elementary schools and middle schools helps give kids an extra push outside of their teachers or they might not get at home. So they’re getting a better idea of how to read and have someone there who’s pushing them to their best.

If you’re interested in getting involved, you can find out more through Mercer’s Center of Community Engagement.

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