Volunteer Stories: Compañeros en Lectura/College Readiness

To wrap up Volunteer Appreciation Month, we’re posting stories from two of our programs! The two volunteers are Carolyn Anton with Compañeros en Lectura and Nick Gammelgard with College Readiness!

Check out Carolyn and Nick’s story below, and don’t forget to submit your stories here.

What makes Classroom Coaching special as a volunteer experience?

Carolyn: I have a great group of 4 students! I love teaching, as well as being with the children. I get at least as much out of it as they do. The teacher says this program is helpful. My concern is that it help the teacher.

Nick: It is great to be able to help the kids get the help they need to achieve their educational goals.

Please share an anecdote or memorable moment about your students.

Carolyn: We acted out one of the plays we read. I was surprised at how good a job they did with very little preparation.

Nick: Watching some of my group take active roles in leadership by example. Also, having them listen to me as someone other than a teacher as I explained the importance of education.

How has Classroom Coaching positively impacted one or more of your students?

Carolyn: One of my students moved to another group because she was so high in reading. So another student was put in my group. My group has switched from Spanish to English reading.

Nick: I have watched my group take an idea and work the process of working the idea into a correct essay format.

How has Classroom Coaching impacted your life?

Carolyn: Tutoring is almost like therapy for me. I love doing it, and I love being with the children. Nothing else can replace it.

Nick: It is very satisfying to volunteer to help the children as well as the City of Austin. I hope that more people volunteer for programs such as this. I believe it is one of the best ways to support a community.

Such great stories! To learn more about the programs that Carolyn and Nick volunteer with, take a look at the Compañeros en Lectura or College Readiness pages!

Don’t forget to share your stories also – they can be submitted here, or you can send me an e-mail with your classroom coaching experiences.

Thank you for reading our posts during Volunteer Appreciation Month! We still have some more volunteer stories, so be sure to come back next week for another post!

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Announcement: Leadership Transition

Isadora Day Named Interim Executive Director Following Dr. Cathy Jones Departure

June 25, 2025 – Austin Partners in Education (APIE) has announced a leadership transition following the departure of longtime Executive Director Dr. Cathy Jones, who will begin a new role as CEO of UP Partnership, a nonprofit serving young people across Bexar County. After 13 years of dedicated service to APIE and Austin ISD, Dr. Jones leaves behind a strong legacy of community collaboration, student-centered innovation, and organizational growth.

With Cathy’s departure, the APIE Board of Directors has appointed Isadora Day as Interim Executive Director, effective July 14, 2025. Day most recently served as Director of Programs at APIE, where she has led high-impact initiatives in college readiness, mentoring, and math intervention for Austin ISD students…