Cardinal Success Stories

Jonathan Abbamonte, Class of 2010
Learn more about Jonathan’s commitment as a D.C. Reads tutor…

Initially started in 1997, D.C. Reads is a local tutoring program for low-income children in the first through third grades who are not reading at grade level.  Its goal is to improve the reading proficiency for all elementary school aged children.  Since then it has expanded to include children in grades K-6, and tutors also teach children math and other skills. At CUA, the program is coordinated by Ms. Emmjolee Mendoza Waters, the Associate Campus Minister for Community Service and D.C. Reads. Over 200 CUA students serve as tutors in the D.C. community, and they make a positive difference in the lives of children by improving their academic skills and serving as positive role models.  Jonathan has served as a D.C. Reads tutor since his freshman year, and is currently a team leader as well.
 
Hometown:
Kennesaw, GA, located in the metro Atlanta area

Why did you choose CUA as your college?   Why is it a good fit for you?  
I decided to come to CUA because of its vibrant faith community, for its strong philosophy department, for its ideal location in our nation’s capital, and for the wide array of academic, service, and career opportunities available here.  I feel that Catholic is a great fit for me because I am allowed to freely express my faith and share it with others and the community at large.

Your Major/Minor and Graduation Year  
Philosophy Major
Graduation date: May 2010

I noticed that you are a team leader with D.C. Reads.  Folks on campus hear about “D.C. Reads” but some do not know what the program entails.  Would you please explain it in more depth?  
D.C. Reads started as a federally funded government program during the Clinton era. It is designed to provide children in the District who are struggling with the basics of reading and/or math access to free one-on-one tutoring.   When the program lost its funding, Catholic and other local universities adopted it, and now over 200 tutors from our university alone volunteer through D.C. Reads.  We work with ten community partners – public, private and charter schools, afterschool programs, and community centers.  Some tutors are strictly volunteers while others work for class credit or work-study; some work with entire classrooms while others work one-on-one with students.  At most sites, tutors teach basic math and reading skills, but the curriculum often varies.

What are your job responsibilities as a team leader?  
As the team leader for CentroNía - a DC Bilingual Public Charter School - I am responsible for facilitating communication between the program campus coordinator, the site supervisors, and the tutors. Some of my responsibilities include:

•    tracking attendance;
•    keeping tutors up to date about matters relating to their responsibilities, to the site, and to the
     program in general;
•    writing weekly reports about what happens at the site on a daily basis;
•    putting together and facilitating bi-annual workshops;
•    checking and tracking timesheets.

I have an assigned group of tutors, so I also work with them on team building, answering their questions and/or addressing any issues that arise with their site or with the program, and coaching them on how to be effective tutors. Team leaders are also required to attend monthly meetings and are expected to help facilitate general meetings and support the program on the whole.  And of course, I’m a tutor as well!  

You started participating with D.C. Reads your freshman year and have stuck with it all three years & are entering your fourth year as a senior.  What has made you stay?    
I truly enjoy working with the people in the program at all its levels. I love working with the kids, and it gives me a sense of purpose to know that I’m making a difference in someone else’s life.  I feel like I have a great relationship with my supervisors and have immensely enjoyed working with our wonderful tutors.  I also believe that through the program, I am able to answer Christ’s call to serve one another.  D.C. Reads gives me an opportunity to actually roll up my sleeves and do something about the injustices in the world in a small way.

An experience with D.C. Reads that really stands out?
I really enjoy the end of year celebrations we have at CentroNía. It is a great opportunity for the whole community - students, tutors, parents, and supervisors - to come together and recognize the students’ achievements of the past year.  Students and tutors are called up one by one to the stage in the overcrowded “La Plaza” to receive their certificates and a gift of appreciation for all their hard work. And afterwards, we all share in the wonderful ethnic cooking provided by generous volunteers as we regretfully say our good-byes until the next year.

Other experiences while at CUA (internships, clubs/organizations, extracurricular, community service)?
I am currently an intern with the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM) http://www.c-fam.org/ where I am working on a forthcoming website to promote human rights. I am a member of Students for Life and the Society for a Virtuous Culture and have volunteered for So Others Might Eat (S.O.M.E.). I have also been an altar server at the Shrine since my freshman year.

How has your CUA education (i.e. major, in general) prepared you for the “real world” after you graduate next spring?  
I feel that the disciplines acquired through my major in philosophy are immensely important to any career path I may choose. Philosophy has sharpened my analytical and critical thinking skills, my writing skills, and my ability to closely follow, understand, simplify and convey a line of argumentation. Already, I can clearly see the importance of these skills as they have proven to be a great help in my internship with C-FAM.

My role and duties as a team leader are also quite useful in understanding how to both lead a team and to work as a part of one.  As a team leader, my communication skills have vastly improved.  Furthermore, it’s helped me strengthen my organizational skills.   

Your future plans/goals/aspirations?
I’m not one hundred-percent sure what is immediately feasible after graduation, but I definitely want to do some sort of long-term service, preferably overseas.  My future plans include law school, but my goal is to first get some practical experience to add to my resume.  For that reason, I plan to take off a few years before pursuing a law degree.  

Advice you’d give to your fellow CUA students?
First, if you want something badly enough and work hard enough for it, it will happen; I don’t believe that there is a limit to achievement.  This world was created for those stubborn people who, at the same time, are polite enough to establish networks.  And secondly, do D.C. Reads! If you invest a bit of yourself and stick with it, you won’t regret it!  I promise.  
 

Past Cardinal Celebs

(click here for entire listing and interview)

Colleen Connor  -- Class of 2010 -- B.A. in Musical Theater. In recognition of October being Disability Awareness Month.
Joseph St. George, Class of 2011Joe is junior with a double major in Politics and Media Studies.   He recently completed a summer 2009 internship with CNBC’s Washington D.C. Bureau.
Elise Forte, BA Psychology, currently Assistant Director of the Center for Academic Success here at Catholic.
Dominic Decker, Class of 2010, English Major/Premed Student. Dominic is currently spending the summer at his home in Roseville, Minnesota. He is awaiting scores from the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and looking forward to medical school interviews in the fall.
Emily White, CUA Class of 2008, B.A. in Media Studies. Chief of Staff, Account Management Department, The Advisory Board Company, Washington, D.C.
Seda Ambartsumian, Politics Major, Class of 2009. In conjunction with International Student Week, Career Services is profiling this student who was born in Armenia but moved to the United States at the age of five. VA.
Emily Astorga, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, May 2007. In recognition of Asian-Pacific Islander Month. Emily earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in May 2007 through the School of Nursing at CUA. Currently, she works as a Registered Nurse on a surgical unit with the INOVA health system.
Elizabeth Renckens, Class of 2004, B.A. in Comparative Politics, Minor in Theology and Religious Studies Executive Assistant, General Federation of Women's Clubs in Washington, D.C.
WILLIAM JAWANDO, Esq., Class of 2007 Joint Degree: Juris Doctorate (JD) and B.A. in Sociology
Legislative Assistant, Office of U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio)
Tim Frank, B.A. in History, Class of 1998 Owner, Military Research Associates, College Park, MD
Alyssa Dorval, Class of 2010, Civil Engineering Major, Internship with Federal Energy Reg. Com.
Anthony Buatti, BA in History, Class of 2008, 3rd Grade Teacher with Teach for America
Torrie Sleeper, Major in Biochemistry, Minor in Marketing Management, Class of 2009
White House Intern with the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)
Omar Monterrubio, Mechanical Engineering major, Class of 2009, Intern for Professor Joseph Vignola and Professor John Judge, Mechanical Engineering Department,
Luigi Alvarado, Biochemistry Major, Spanish Minor Class of 2009, Intern at Hospital San Juan De Dios, Pisco, Peru
Meghan McCorkell, Washington Correspondent, Sinclair Broadcast Group, B.A., Drama and Communications, 2001
George Russo, Senior, Spanish for International Service Major
Trisha O'Connor, Associate with GMMB, B.A., Media Studies 2005
Jessica R. Towhey, Press Secretary, BA English, 1997
Nelson Silverio, Manager, PGA TOUR Media Information, CUA 2002