Feature Story

It was 10:30 a.m. on a Tuesday or Thursday morning over the summer. The Community

Reading Buddies program in Oakland, Calif. was bustling with Pre-K kids getting ready for another day

of learning. The classroom was littered with discarded toys, books, handmade drawings on the walls and

art supplies, exuding a homey feel. Coloring sheets with blank letters ready to be filled in were splayed

across the tables. A murmur of hushed chatter could be heard. A cool breeze swept through the room as

the door creaked open and the kids’ mentors walked in. The children’s heads quickly turned as they got

their first glimpse of them. They could hardly contain their excitement of seeing the awesome teenagers,

ready to hear the schedule for the day. 

Tyler Musante, a current sophomore at Elon University, was one of these mentors for four

years of his high school career. He worked as a Reading Buddy. Each year, all of the buddies were

assigned to help one kid with reading skills. This included learning rhymes, vowels and other aspects of

the English language necessary to move up to kindergarten.

By the end of his first year, Musante worked with a few kids at a time due to his increased

experience. The second year, he went on to not only becoming a reading mentor, but also a teacher for

other mentors. He taught them how to get a kid to read or do a coloring activity if they didn’t want to. In

addition, Musante gave a briefing each morning to the class, explaining which learning activities they

would do next.

Although the activities were already specified, he needed to decide which order to complete

them in. He had more responsibilities during his second year, but was able to balance them due to his

ability to multitask. 

Musante's major service experiences consisted of working as a Community Reading Buddy

and participating in various events such as a food drive and furniture donation at the Service Living and

Learning Community (LLC) at Elon University. He expressed profound gratitude from the immense

impact this Oakland program had on him. It opened up new possibilities for service work and increased

his passion in it. It was the first of many opportunities he would have to help others, one of his most
prominent values. “I enjoy doing service ‘cause it feels like I’m making a difference and putting myself to

use,” Musante explained. It was in his nature to put others’ needs before his own, but it was also

something he deeply enjoyed. 

Those closest to Musante could clearly see these qualities in him. Andrew Dryfoos, Musante’s

roommate, noted a change in Musante’s demeanor while they completed acts of service together. “He was

really into service and looked really happy wherever he got to interact with people, especially little kids,”

Dryfoos observed. Along with Musante, Dryfoos also took part in acts of service as part of the LLC.

Based on this observation, it was clear that helping those in need of assistance was a true passion for

Musante.

Dryfoos wasn’t the only one to notice this. Others around Musante could see the impact

Musante's service experience has also made on himself. His mother, Christine Musante, described

Musante as a “silent leader.” “He doesn't necessarily think of himself as a leader type,” she said. That is,

she believed that he’s “not necessarily the fastest or most athletic,” but won’t hesitate to subconsciously

carry more weight for those who are falling behind. She added that service didn’t exactly change

Musante, but brought out parts of himself he wasn’t aware of before. It gave him an outlet, increased his

confidence and made him more invested in the task at hand. Christine Musante wholeheartedly thought

that her son led by example by working hard to help others.

From these statements, it was clear that Musante’s experience teaching pre-K kids critical

aspects of language transferred into his college years. His excitement to not just work with kids, but help

people in general, shined through. This is not just a story about a college student invested in service, but

also the ability for it to greatly improve the lives of anyone involved.