Name: Owen Lamothe
Hometown: Hamden, CT
College and Major: Middlebury College, Arabic and International Politics and Economics
Tutoring Site: Bristol Street
Clubs: Chess and Math
Favorite Childhood Book: Goosebumps Series by R.L. Stine
When I first walked into the Bristol Street site on January 31st, 2019, to interview as part of the process to be a tutor, I would never have expected that I would have the opportunity 3 years later to experience all that New Haven Reads has to offer. I was a busy high school freshman who could only come into tutor 1 hour a week, and for that small window of time, I always took the chance to observe the staff, tutors, students, parents, and everyone in between all coming together to learn and have a blast while doing it. This feeling remained constant throughout my three years at Willow Street. When I found out about the KeyBank Summer Intern position, I jumped at the chance to join the community in a larger role.
My favorite part of the summer so far has been leading and helping with the Bristol Street summer clubs. New Haven Reads is a community of learners, no matter what role everyone plays. When I lead the chess club, I’m surrounded by eager chess students and volunteer helpers that bring a lot of chess experience to the club. Every meeting people meet each other where they’re at and we have so much fun playing chess, getting to know each other through icebreakers, and beating the heat inside at the chessboard. As someone who is passionate about language learning, I had a really meaningful day on July 20th, when I had to put my Arabic skills to the test to help translate information about the Vision to Learn program. In moments like these, being a KeyBank Intern at New Haven Reads allows me to interact with many members of the amazing greater-New Haven community and for that I am extremely grateful.
It is amazing to be back in-person with New Haven Reads this summer! Every day when I walk into the Bristol Street site I can sense the same sense of enthusiasm amongst everyone there. I am so lucky to be able to dive deeper into this community and help support our students in having a fun and productive summer. Thank you to the entire New Haven Reads organization and community for this opportunity. I also sincerely appreciate KeyBank for this internship opportunity. Thank you and have a great rest of the summer!
