"Prior to coming here I didn’t realize so many PA students were so involved in community service"

Ziwerekoru - Class of 2010 Lawrence, Massachusetts

The math program in Ziwe’s public middle school was not very strong. “When I was a seventh-grader, my PALS mentor, [PA student] Ilana Segall, helped me practice geometry and algebra II,” says Ziwe, “so I always felt extremely confident in math class.”

Thanks to her hard work in the popular academic enrichment program, which is staffed by “student teachers” from PA and Andover High School, Ziwe not only matriculated at Andover herself—she became a PALS volunteer.

“Seeing the ‘PALS world’ through the eyes of a young adult is so exciting,” says Ziwe. “I relate easily to the children, understand their humor, and know exactly what they are going through. It’s refreshing to see the same eagerness and energy that I had as a PALS student.”

“Prior to coming here I didn’t realize so many PA students were so involved in community service,” admits Ziwe, who was pleasantly surprised at a recent Walk for Hunger. “There were over 15 PA student walkers on my team, and we raised a lot of money for charity.”