THINK TANK Student Employee Spotlight Series: Oliver Smith

When you think of tutoring, you might think about sitting across from someone who excels in the subject and has a deep understanding of the foundational pieces, whether it’s calculus formulas or physics concepts. Oliver Smith, a Level 3 tutor who fits the description and more: He took on mentorship and leadership roles that prepared him for post-graduation. 

Oliver was an Aerospace Engineering major who worked for THINK TANK’s Tutoring program. His various roles included working with specific student populations within the ASEMs Scholar Program and with the New Start Summer Program, a program run by the Thrive Center for incoming first year students. As a Level 3, he also oversaw first-time tutors.

Oliver’s insights about being a tutor revealed the truth about tutoring: It’s more than just the formulas and concepts. On a fundamental level, tutoring is about listening and understanding what might be at the heart of a student’s struggle.

Out of His Shell

The biggest takeaway Oliver found from his experience as a tutor was how to successfully interact with his peers, from the first impression all the way through a session.

“Tutoring really helps because it forces you to interact more,” he explained. “It's a mix between professional but also personal because you don't want to be too standoffish from the student…and so I really think it helped me be good at starting conversation, getting to know someone and then getting to the root of why I'm talking to them.”

More than Just Tutoring

Although Oliver appreciated that he got “to meet a lot of new people,” also having "regulars that come back to you” was a highlight of his experience.  He loved to see these repeat students because he felt as though he was on their academic journey with them: “You get to actually know that person, and you get to see the ideas and the reasons behind why they're struggling with something, and then you can help address that.”

Oliver reflected on a few students he saw through this journey. “I had one or two students that were struggling a lot in classes, and were able to come into tutoring [for] multiple hours, like almost every day,” he described. “At the end, they were able to get the grades up and pass the class. It’s just really rewarding to see people come back to you and then that they are able to succeed because they were willing to come to tutoring and work with you.”I

Turning the Mirror Inward

Oliver was also able to turn inward and look at how he worked through his own coursework problems. He shared his internal monologue about it: “You're like, ‘Wait a minute, do I not understand this problem or do I not understand the concept behind the problem?’ Because everything comes from generally the same principles, so if you can go back to those basic principles and understand what you missed, then it'll help you out a little bit.”

Being a Mentor

Being a good listener is at the top of Oliver’s list of qualities, and he got to exercise his listening muscles through his role as a Mentor to his six tutor mentees. “I check in [with them] every week, meet every week, offer them advice, listen to questions that they have, and really just try to help them be more confident in their abilities as a tutor.”

Providing a space for his mentees to talk about their challenges and understanding what they’re going through was core to Oliver’s work: “I try to really listen to the people around me and figure out what they really need at the moment, … what they're really saying.” 

Since he is no longer studying or tutoring, Oliver loves spending time with two of his siblings, also fellow Wildcats, playing strategy or puzzle games, and thinking about space. If Oliver had a time machine, you can bet you’ll find him in the (maybe not so distant) future watching the first person walk on Mars. 

 Want to learn more about THINK TANK? Become a tutor yourself? Learn more about THINK TANK’s Tutoring Program at: https://thinktank.arizona.edu/tutoring