Helping students overcome math challenges is a personal mission for Samah Elalaoui. She offers free math tutoring to students who are facing financial obstacles. Students come to her house to attend classes. (Nagham Ghanam, CMRU.ca)
A tutor who understands the struggle
For Samah Elalaoui, math was always her strongest subject, despite her academic struggles. Growing up, she often needed tutors for other subjects, but financial constraints meant she had limited access to support. Remembering the frustration of going without the help she needed, Elalaoui decided to make a difference for students facing similar challenges.
“Math can be tough, but I want my students to feel that they’re capable of understanding it,” she shares. “No one should miss out on that just because they can’t afford help.”
Providing free tutoring for those in need
Now, as a math tutor, she provides free tutoring to high school and university students who may be struggling, especially those who lack the means to pay for assistance. Her mission is clear: to make math accessible and to help students succeed, no matter their financial situation. Elalaoui’s commitment extends beyond traditional tutoring as she works one-on-one with students to break down complex math concepts into clear, manageable steps, helping them build both skills and confidence.
“Math can be intimidating,” she explains, “but I want my students to know they’re capable. Just because they need extra help doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have access to it.”
Making an impact in multiple ways
Elalaoui’s impact is felt across multiple areas:
- Support for All: Free tutoring sessions ensure that students, regardless of financial background, can access the help they need to excel in math.
- Personal Understanding: Drawing from her own experiences, she empathizes deeply with students who need academic support but struggle to find it.
- Confidence Building: Her encouragement helps students feel capable and resilient, especially when tackling challenging math problems
- Long-Term Vision: Elalaoui hopes to open a tutoring program for students of all ages, creating a more extensive support network for her community.
- Academic Achievement: Her students don’t just learn math—they gain the tools to approach other subjects and life challenges with newfound resilience and determination.
- Community Support: Parents and students alike recognize her dedication, with many saying her help has transformed not only their math skills but also their outlook on learning.
Future plans for community impact
Elalaoui’s plans reflect her enduring dedication to her community. She envisions expanding her tutoring program to serve students of all ages, extending her impact even further. By providing free math education, she’s giving back in a way that addresses a critical need and supports students’ growth.
As she continues to pursue her goal of an inclusive tutoring program, Elalaoui’s work exemplifies the theme of community support and resilience, proving that with a little help, every student can reach their full potential.
Personal reflection
Working on this project with Elalaoui was a valuable experience that taught me about the great impact one person can have in a community. During our chats, I could see how her enthusiasm for math and desire to make education more accessible stemmed directly from her personal experiences. Hearing her story and observing her dedication made me understand how important it is for communities to have people who devote themselves to helping others, particularly those who may not have the means to seek care on their own.
I hope that by developing media content that showcases Elalaoui’s goal, this project will help her reach out to more students and possible supporters. By telling her story I hoped to portray not only her passion for tutoring but also her long-term vision for an inclusive tutoring program. I feel that this content will help her promote awareness, gain greater community support, and eventually realize her vision of a larger tutoring network.
Through this storytelling project, I’ve learned the value of empathy and the relevance of narratives in community service. Highlighting someone’s effect via words and actions has demonstrated how storytelling may raise voices, foster connections, and drive change. This project has strengthened my respect for service-oriented work and the potential for media to drive community impact.
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