Sona is a stellar, dedicated Wednesday tutor at 826, who always arrives early and with a smile on her face. Her first words to us are always, “How can I help?” The students recognize her kindness and intelligence and request her as their personal tutor when they walk in the door.

Sona grew up in Massachusetts, but has lived in San Francisco for more than 10 years, engaged in various writing pursuits. She started volunteering at 826 in the fall of 2005, where she mostly helped with in-schools projects at our satellite Writers’ Room at Everett Middle School.

The next year, Sona decided to concentrate on tutoring in our lab, as well as helping out with our high school book projects. “I love the writing lab,” she says. “The feeling I get there is a reinforcement of the power of language. My only regret is that I didn’t start volunteering in 2002 when the lab first opened.”

Sona also helps recruit volunteers for 826. “I strongly encourage others to volunteer,” she says. “Especially those who are good at math. Some days will be harder than others, but in the end it’ll be well worth it. I like knowing that I’m helping to keep kids away from video games, even if it’s just for a few hours at a time.”

We hope Sona continues as an 826 Valencia tutor for a long, long time. Congratulations again to Sona Avakian, truly deserving of this Tutor of the Month award.