Zachary A. '15 Named Big Brothers/Big Sisters' "Champion of Mentoring"

By Yitzhak M. ’15
On May 15th, Zachary A. '15, President of the Beth Tfiloh chapter of the National Honor Society, received the Champion of Mentoring award from Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Chesapeake for his work in founding the Tutoring Outreach Program —TOP at their annual MentorZing ceremony.  Other honorees included Baltimore City Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts, Maryland Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, US Congressman Elijah E. Cummings, UMBC President Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, US Senator Barbara A. Mikulski, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, and Baltimore City Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, among many others.

TOP partners with the U.S. Dream Academy, an after-school program which focuses on students with incarcerated family members. On school days, Beth Tfiloh National Honor Society members travel to Pimlico Elementary/Middle School to partner with the students and give them personalized attention while tutoring them in subjects like math, English, and science. While originally imagined as a simple tutoring program, TOP has grown since its inception, and has achieved much in its first year as a program.  How has it grown? Recently, Pikesville High School students have volunteered to help Beth Tfiloh and started a drive to collect art supplies for the students at the US Dream Academy. While continuing to expand projects within Pimlico Elementary and Middle School, TOP is also attempting to expand the program nationally, reaching out to schools in Texas, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, and Florida.

The program has been recognized not only locally, on WBAL and in the Baltimore Jewish Times, but also nationally, by the National Honor Society and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Chesapeake Region.

In addition to this prestigious award from Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Zach has also won the Local level of the Kohl’s Cares Scholarship Program for making a positive impact in his community. He will progress to the regional level, which will announce its finalists on June 26th.

Learn more about this inspiring student’s experience with TOP and his feelings about his award.

Yitzhak M. '15: TOP has been a great success. How did it all begin?
Zachary A. '15: When I was Vice President of the National Honor Society, my job was not only to run the in-school tutoring program at Beth Tfiloh but also to implement various service projects for Beth Tfiloh's National Honor Society chapter. We had 78 students as part of our chapter, which provided a huge opportunity for us to really make a difference. I spoke with the Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Chesapeake, Mr. Terry Hickey, who connected me with the U.S. Dream Academy. Together with the U.S. Dream Academy, Mrs. Steinberg and I worked for over six months to create this program. Then, in October of 2013, we started. Since then, it has been a huge success.

YM: What do you think has been TOP's greatest achievement?
ZA: It's hard to say. So many people have done so many different things. Several BT student volunteers organized a book drive and we were able to create a 2,000 book library for the kids. Other students have created a science club that has continued for the past eight months and has really instilled a love of science in the kids. We have also had programs to get the kids involved in art, technology, reading, and even a pen-pal project with children in Uganda.  Everyone has done such amazing things; there really is no single greatest accomplishment. Without the help of all of the students and faculty of Beth Tfiloh, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the U.S. Dream Academy, TOP could never have happened.

YM: How do you think you have personally influenced the students at TOP?
ZA: I think that one of the most gratifying moments that I have ever had as a mentor and tutor for the Tutoring Outreach Program has been my relationship with a student named Isaiah. Isaiah is aspiring to become a lawyer when he is older, and I've worked with him one-on-one to develop his writing skills, I have shown him my mock trial cases, and we have even done mock cases together. Recently, he sat me down and told me how thankful he was. That thanks meant everything in the world to me.

YM: What was it like to be honored at the Big Brothers Big Sisters MentorZing event?
ZA: It was a very overwhelming experience, but in a very good way. I met many people who were all very kind and welcoming. I got contact information from many different people and everyone just wanted to help with our project. It was a great experience.

YM: You were honored alongside people like Governor Martin O'Malley and Senator Barbara Mikulski. What was it like to be included in such a prestigious group?
ZA: It was a huge honor, but it was also a little intimidating because a lot of these people have done so much for Maryland, for the greater Baltimore community, and for so many students. I was just very honored and humbled to be alongside them.  

YM: What do you think you gained from this experience?
ZA: Well, it was all new for me. I have never really done anything like it before. At the event, everyone was busy networking to find support for different projects. It was a great learning experience and I feel very honored that I was able to go.

YM: What do you hope BT students will gain from their involvement in TOP?
ZA: Well, the main goal of TOP is not just to tutor these inner city students. Obviously, that's part of it, but it also helps provide BT High School students with a new perspective. Our hope is to instill a love of service in our volunteers.

YM: How do you think TOP has influenced your life?
ZA: Personally, I feel that I have completely changed as a person since beginning the Tutoring Outreach Program. It has really made a huge difference for me, with everything from my patience level to what career path I see myself taking. Before, I saw myself as someone who would be involved in finance, but TOP has really made me want to dedicate my life to working with people. I want to do something where I can not only work with people on a regular basis but also help them in a tangible way.

Jenny R. ’14 contributed to this article.