Tutor Spotlight: Ducan Allen

Written by Duncan Allen, Tufts '20, Potencia Tutor of the Year 2019

First thing first - introduce yourself! 🤓

Hi! My name is Duncan and I'm a Tufts Undergraduate senior from St. Louis, Missouri studying International Relations and Chinese. In my free time I love brewing my own coffee and portrait photography.

Photo by Duncan Allen

Why did you choose to volunteer at Potencia? 🔑

I heard about Potencia through my class Facebook group, and was inspired by their mission to join the team. In my time at Tufts I've worked as a tutor for Tufts Literacy Corps, which helps promote language fluency in local elementary school children through tutoring sessions. While abroad in Beijing I tutored part-time as an English teacher at a local library. Coming into senior year I knew I wanted to continue and expand on my teaching experience, and saw Potencia as the perfect opportunity to do so while also contributing to local communities. 

What did you learn from your tutoring experience? 💡

In my time at Potencia, I've seen firsthand how rewarding volunteering can be - the team is great, the students are kind and eager to learn, and the experience is useful for developing teaching skills. 

What is your goal after graduation? 📣

Post-graduation, I hope to use the experience and knowledge I've gained from Potencia to go forward in my career as an educator.