“I have heard the quote, ‘With knowledge comes power’ repeated many times, but seldom does a program come along, like Study Zone, that attempts to utilize the significance of education to empower those in our community. I am just glad I was blessed enough to be a part of an organization that does all it can to better my fellow students.”
Those words are not from a seasoned sage, but from the very glib and gifted Thomas Jefferson High School junior, Leslie Ojeaburu.
For quite a while now, I have been admiring Leslie and his sister, Sheila — a senior at Thomas Jefferson — giving of themselves to others. They exude such sunny dispositions that you can easily snatch them out of a crowd.
Every Thursday, you will find them at the Federal Way Regional Library volunteering as tutors. Under the auspices of Study Zone — a program supervised by the King County Library System Foundation — volunteers tutor all grade levels from K through 12. Students drop in for free homework help from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.
Tutors come in all ages and ethnic backgrounds. It is not unusual to find retirees side by side with high school students like the Ojeaburus.
Michele McLaughlin, a librarian at the regional library, heads up the program. Prospective tutors undergo a background check and brief training. So far, McLaughlin has turned away volunteers as 48 devoted tutors are already on board.
What I like most about the Ojeaburu siblings is that they seem to enjoy what they do. Their smiles are infectious.
With much alacrity, they set about disarming their charges from feeling uncomfortable. It’s like they’re saying: “Just chill, you are one of us!”
Leslie and Sheila credit God and their parents for giving them this selflessness. They moved here from Nigeria, West Africa, as young children and have blossomed into positive and level-headed teenagers.
Both believe that they can influence their peers by modeling the way of doing the right thing. Sheila started tutoring when she was in eighth grade, while Leslie did so in ninth grade. Like her brother, Sheila waxed eloquently about the tutoring program.
“Study Zone has provided me the opportunity to help inspire the youth of my generation. The experience has been extremely rewarding because not only have I sharpened my own skills, but I have been able to help kids strengthen their own.
“Overall, I am grateful for this wonderful opportunity, and I encourage anyone with a desire to help others to become a tutor.”
In an age when a lot of antisocial behavior can be attributed to teenagers, it is so refreshing to know that right in front of the public eye, the Ojeaburus and other teens are making a difference in Federal Way.
They are at the library every Thursday, but not from a lack of things to do. I am most certain that they could easily find countless other pastimes to indulge themselves.
Not that race should play any role in all of this, but in the spirit of February’s Black History Month, I want to salute Leslie and Sheila for their service to their community.
You perhaps will never become the Benjamin Bannekers, Barbara Jordans, Thurgood Marshalls and Oprah Winfreys of your time. But know that you are revered for what you do — one child at a time.
To you, the many Study Zone volunteers and administrators, I doff my hat! Kudos, too, to the Federal Way School District that enables students like you to shine.
