Invested Tutors: Elisabeth Jacobs

This blog post begins a series in which we will highlight the generosity, commitment, and investment of our tutors at Clayborne. Our tutors are fiercely passionate about student success. Many of our tutors are taking the extra step to invest in the growth and flourishing of their students.

We believe that an investment in one student is an investment in a community.

Meet Elisabeth Jacobs, who has been tutoring with Clayborne since 2016. Elisabeth has been investing in the lives of two refugee students in Charlottesville since 2017. She has donated countless hours of tutoring, college counseling, and ESL instruction to these students. Here is a little bit more about her work with these girls, who happen to be sisters:

Tell us about your work with the sisters.

I work with two refugee sisters – One is working on getting her GED and the other is in college at Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC). I help both of the girls with their coursework as well as academic and career counseling. The younger sister often likes help with math and social studies. With the other sister, we focus on papers for various [PVCC] classes and career counseling. 

Tell us something fun about your relationship with the sisters!

The girls and I have had a lot of fun talking about food! The girls are from Afghanistan and have made me different kinds of food and tea that they grew up with. We also both love trying to grow our own food! [We love to] share the triumphs and defeats of our gardens.  

What made you interested in volunteering to work with them?

I’ve always thought that Clayborne’s scholarship program was an amazing way for the company to give back and I wanted to be a part of it! 

How have you grown as a tutor from your relationship with the sisters?

These two sisters are amazing people and I have learned so much from them. Their family fled from war when the girls were young, and [that has given me] a whole new appreciation for how lucky I am. They are amazingly mature and responsible. That has taught me what young people are capable of, despite being faced with so much.  

What do you hope they have gained as a result of your work with them?

I hope they gain confidence in their skills and [that they] know all that they are capable of.

Clayborne is grateful to have tutors like Elisabeth on our team! Her work with these two sisters is just one example of her investment in our community. We are excited to share with you the stories of other tutors who make similar investments every week!

In 2018, our community investment programs offered scholarships, financial aid, or volunteer hours to nearly 100 students. Learn more about our work here!

If you would like to partner with us in 2019 or beyond, contact the community investment director to learn more about how your support contributes to stories like this one.