It has been such a wonderful experience to work with Reading is Fun (RIF) this past semester. As someone who grew up constantly reading, it has been nice to be able to find time to read at least once during the week, especially with a busy schedule. Since starting college, I barely found time to read as often as I used to, and usually only have time to read books needed for classes. Being able to become a mentor for RIF has been one of the best decisions I’ve made so far in my college career.

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With RIF, I found the amazing opportunity to find joy in reading as well as helping students who are speakers of other languages feel more comfortable in their language development. It has been rewarding to watch the mentees grow more confident and comfortable in speaking and reading in English. I’ve been reading Paper Towns by John Green, but I have also read Modern Love a few times throughout my time at RIF. Both books use more complex sentence structures, literary devices, and cultural anecdotes that were a bit difficult for the mentees to understand at first. But, the other mentors and myself, were able to teach the students how to make use of context clues and not be afraid to ask any questions they may have. For example, in Paper Towns, there is frequent mention of prom. One student asked me what exactly a “prom” was which made me realize how different American culture is compared to cultures around the world. I enjoyed this specific teaching moment because I was also learning more about different cultures while explaining the concept of prom to the student.

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RIF has been such a great experience as I not only get to help others but also get to learn more about different people and what learning methods work for others. I aspire to become a teacher to speakers of other languages, and I have learned so much about myself through working with RIF. I highly recommend becoming a RIF mentor if you also intend to work with teaching other languages or want to get back into your love of reading! RIF allows the mentors and mentees to come together and remember the joy of reading.

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By: Nayeli Lopez 21'