Here at Universal Achievement Tutoring and Coaching, we love to share stories about students who have used our help to succeed inside and outside the classroom. One of our recent graduates is Nico from Arvada, CO.
Nico’s Mom, Jen, reached out to us in January 2019. According to Jen, “Nico was about to start his second semester of his junior year. The second semester has always been the most difficult for Nico. Lots of memories of depression and anxiety. It really was difficult for him to focus. He was taking pre-calculus and I knew we had to do something if he was going to make it through.”
We hear this a lot as students progress through high school and are faced with challenging and unfamiliar subjects. Universal Achievement seemed like a good fit for Nico and Jen since we employ a positive, holistic approach to learning and education.
After a few calls to create a tailored educational plan for Nico, we matched him with an engineering student from the Colorado School of Mines, Julia.
“Thank goodness for Julia,” Jen wrote to me. “[She] was a perfect fit. Nico was really scared at first because he didn't know how this was going to work. Julia was awesome. She made Nico feel so comfortable. ”
Nico continued meeting with Julia for the next year and a half, mostly working on math and physics, but also with whatever subjects Nico needed support in. According to Nico’s mom, “Nico finished pre-calculus and physics with A’s. I know some weeks Nico seriously needed to work on other classes and Julia would help him with those too.”
Julia said that when she first started working with Nico, it was mostly catching up on day-to-day assignments in trigonometry and physics. This is a common problem, students get behind and it’s hard to stay motivated to continue learning while feeling so overwhelmed.
Julia worked with him to break this cycle, but it was Nico that really stepped up to work hard and reach his goals. Like most kids, Nico had all the pieces to be successful, but just needed a little one-on-one work to figure out how to put those pieces together.
This was about more than just academic success though. Students and Universal Achievement tutors develop mentor/mentee bonds as they work on a variety of lifestyle aspects, from movement and exercise, to nutrition, to positive thought patterns. Jen agreed, “They sometimes would talk about other classes and the stress Nico was going through. It was almost like a therapy session sometimes, which is just what Nico needed. I feel like Nico has made a life long friend. He would not have made it through without Julia's help.”
Our tutors take time to get to know the students and use positive psychology to help them increase confidence and wellbeing in all aspects of life. Students gain hope and are empowered as tutors teach that learning is not fixed and you can always grow and improve. According to Julia, “Nico and I worked on soft-skills as much as actual equations and problem-solving. We addressed time management, staying motivated when you feel overwhelmed, communicating with teachers, realistic study plans, and when to know when you need a break or when to ask for help.”
Julia shared, “Nico, like many students, didn’t love the idea that he needed help from a tutor, but he put in the work and was able to go from a fear of not graduating on time to a straight-A student. I am grateful that Jen was an advocate for Nico and communicated with me when he needed additional help. I am so happy that I got to work with Nico for three semesters. We are both better for it!”
Nico is taking a gap year this year, but plans to go to college for mortuary sciences.
If you are interested in learning more about our tutoring and coaching program please visit our website at www.uatutoring.com for more information and to schedule a free phone consultation.