Cupcakes + Cats: A Story of Youth Mentorship

Sometimes school tutoring sessions—and friendships—blossom in unlikely ways.

In 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic raging, Katie Logan and Denise were forced to master teaching, learning, and getting to know each other by cellphone. “In the first couple of sessions, my heart sank,” said Logan, an assistant professor in the Focused Inquiry program at Virginia Commonwealth University. “How could we build a relationship over a little, tiny machine?” 

Then came the cats. And the flowers and birthday cupcakes. And the magic of a spunky, eight-year-old third grader who likes fashion and loves to read.

“In some ways, college students and third graders are not that different,” said Logan, laughing at the memory of the tiny touchstones that built connection.

“She was nice and great to work with. She showed me her cats,” summed up Denise, now a 4th grader in Henrico county schools. 

A key to the tutoring success came through using Google Docs to chat back and forth. Katie wrote questions. Denise replied. They’d find ways to illustrate and add color to the communications. A correct answer might bring the reward of a virtual visit with Katie’s cats or the sight of pretty flowers. Over the next year, tutor and student managed a couple of distanced, in-person visits, including cupcakes for Denise’s birthday.

Humor enlivened the friendship. When Joe Biden was inaugurated as President, Denise—who was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and arrived in the United States with her family in 2016—was fascinated by the unfamiliar ceremony.

“Do you think Joe Biden gets cake?” she asked.

            “I hope he does,” Katie replied.

            “He should get cake,” Denise decreed firmly.

An expanded workload for Katie and Denise’s return to in-person schooling this fall ended formal tutoring for the pair. Katie worked with Reestablish Richmond to smooth the transition, arranging ways for the two to remain in touch and helping to identify another tutor for Denise.

The experience buttressed one of Katie’s reasons for choosing to volunteer with the refuge-support organization. “It’s not just about helping. It’s about building relationship,” she said.