For Nneoma Anozie, volunteering has become more than just a hobby. “I always look forward to it,” she says as she smiles. Volunteering has provided her a sense of purpose, fulfillment, and helped her learn a variety of new skills. From teaching others, building positive relationships and everything in between, it’s safe to say volunteering is helping Nneoma back.
Nneoma is a psychology student at the University of Manitoba working on her second degree and has been volunteering at New Directions for about three months. She helps tutoring with math and English, and she’s delighted with the impact it has had on the life of the individuals she works with, but also on her personal and professional life.
Nneoma loves watching her students become enthusiastic about learning. “I love seeing their excitement around learning new things, and it sparks me to teach new techniques and ideas.” Her student has become incredibly motivated and eager; they encourage Nneoma to “make it harder” for them so they can challenge themselves. Nneoma loves watching her student make progress with every session. “I’ve bought books for my student I think they would like, because they’ve learnt to love reading and writing.”
Not only did she notice she became more patient, but it has also helped guide her towards a career direction. She’s been thinking of going into family counselling, as volunteering has helped her uncover her passion for helping people and bringing out the best in them.
Volunteering has helped Nneoma build skills to use in her daily life, and she’s made a meaningful and personal connection with her student. She loves what she does and is making a difference in her community, inspiring confidence, growth, and sharing knowledge and experiences.
For more information on volunteer opportunities with New Directions, visit https://newdirections.mb.ca/volunteer/
