Some University of Pennsylvania freshmen are already following in the Penn tradition of serving the community.

Through the Riepe College House Mentors Program, 25 freshman volunteers are working with students at Powel Elementary School in West Philadelphia. One day a week, the freshmen spend two hours with kindergarteners through fourth graders there.

The Penn students assist teachers by performing tasks such as passing out materials, setting up activities and, at times working individually with kids who need assistance.

“They really like the one-on-one attention,” says Shritama Ray of San Jose, Calif. 

Ray is surprised at how the children bonded with the mentors.

“They are fascinated by the idea of college and they want to know more about me,” she says. “They ask questions about my life, about my parents and family and friends.”

The Riepe College House Mentors Program is aligned with the Penn Compact 2020 goal of engaging locally.

Freshmen can apply to participate in a College House residential program in the spring before they arrive on campus. Ray was interested in the Mentors Program because in high school she was a reading tutor for elementary school students.

“I wanted to apply to a residential program because it would be nice to establish a community,” says Ray. “All of the people in our hall are in the program, so we’re all mentors and we all bonded immediately.”

All of the program participants live in the same section of the College House, known as Mentors Hall. Living in close proximity allows them to spend evenings sharing their experiences and challenges at Powel.

“Sometimes, we’ll give each other advice,” says Dan Spinelli, of North Wales, Pa. “Like, if someone’s having trouble connecting with one of the Powel kids, or they don’t know how to handle a particular situation. It’s helpful.”

Spinelli was also a tutor in high school, working with students at a North Philadelphia school, so he was thrilled to learn that Penn offered the Mentors Program. He enjoys talking to the kids and finding common ground. One topic that comes up frequently is having trouble with siblings.

“I was trying to be wise and tell them that they should care about their siblings and that, when they’re older, they are among the more important people in their lives,” says Spinelli. “I watched their stunned reactions to this revelation and that they’re going to care about their sibling one day. The benefits of mentoring come through in moments like that, where you’re not even talking about school material, but you’re bonding over shared experiences.”

Chase Staub, a Riepe College House graduate assistant who oversees the mentors, says many of the Powel students look up to the Penn students as older brothers and sisters.

“Some of the Powel students have lack of support at home or have trouble integrating into the school culture and may act out because they don’t have that leadership role in their life. The Penn student mentors sometimes fill that role.”