5 | Hall of Fame
Check out Volunteers of the Year, Volunteers of the Month, and Superlative Award winners.
826 Boston Volunteers of the Year are truly exceptional tutors who have gone above and beyond to support students and help them find their voices. Each winner is nominated by our staff members and celebrated at our annual volunteer appreciation event.
Jump to: 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017
Toni has been volunteering since 2018 and has been an incredible support during remote tutoring this year, regularly volunteering with The BINcA Writers’ Room, Young Authors’ Book Project, and College Essay Boot Camp. Toni is a warm, engaging tutor who has shown up consistently to BINcA sessions every year. Whether she was helping on senior capstones, formulating incredible college essays, or assisting with our publication projects, Toni brought kindness, empathy, and care that made students feel at ease. She’s deserving of this award and is such an incredible educator!
Nicole Hester joined our team as an intern with the Burke Writers’ Room in the fall and returned for a second semester this spring. As an intern, Niki has been a vital part of the Burke Team, supporting students during class visits, and creating and facilitating a workshop this spring. Niki also regularly supported other Writers’ Rooms and engaged regularly with intern professional development sessions and networking events. Niki was one of the strongest interns at the Burke. From the beginning of her internship, she had ease connecting to the students and building authentic relationships. She continued to step further by creating and developing a workshop focused on self-identity and empowerment for girls. Overall, Niki has been a huge asset to the Burke Team and we as a team have been proud of her work!
Claudio Ribiero
Sabrina Diaz
Mimi Curran
Elkan Gamzu
Jonathon Rowe
Barbara Sheffels
Levi Rubeck
Christopher LaFortune
Every month our team nominates and votes on our Top Researcher—a tutor who has put in the extra effort to support 826 Boston students and their studies (and supported our studies of the ever-elusive Bigfoot!). Here’s a list of past Top Researchers. Who knows—maybe you’ll be next!
Jump to: 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010
Seke’s favorite 826 Boston memory: “Coaching seventh and eighth-grade students in their STEM research paper preparation, to compete in the 76th Boston Public Schools Science & Engineering Fair. It was memorable to see the students apply their motivation, subject matter and audience engagement skills, when exchanging role play between each other as presenters and listeners.”
Adalyn’s favorite 826 Boston memory: “One of the students I worked with was an avid reader, and so, when she was done with her work, we would sit and read our own books and have a little book club after, where we would talk about what we had read. It was really great to see how she thought about the books she read and the world at large!”
Natalie’s favorite 826 Boston memory: “I was volunteering in the EMK Writers’ Room and the students that I had been working with for a few sessions saw me as they were coming in and ran to give me a hug! It showed me how excited they were to see me and it was such a pure moment!”
Brendan’s favorite 826 Boston memory:
“A student and I had been working on math and chemistry for a semester; however, I could always tell it wasn’t his passion. I asked him about what sort of writing he enjoyed, and he shared his DnD (Dungeons and Dragons) character sheets with me. Reading over his characters and exploring his creative and imaginative side taught me so much about him and what he loves.”
Lynne’s favorite 826 Boston memory:
“When I first opened the door of 826 Boston, I was confused and intrigued. Once I crossed into the back room and felt the energy, warmth, and creativity of the After-School Tutoring program, I was hooked!”
June 2021 – Jake Hargrove
May 2021 – Liza Uthgenannt
April 2021 – Nicole Hester
March 2021 – Kevin Hassenfratz
February 2021 – Jeanne Segal
December 2020 – Katia Mathews
November 2020 – Emmanuel (Manny) Chalumeau
October 2020 – Suzanne Begly
May 2020 – Cristian Piraneque
April 2020 – Claire Brislin
March 2020 – Jake Grossman
February 2020 – Marguerite (Peggy) Yee
January 2020 – Cate Burke
December 2019 – Sabrina Diaz
November 2019 – Lynnette Ramsay
October 2019 – Lynn Rosenbaum
September 2019 – Virginia Hoeck
June 2019 – Erin Sunderland
March 2019 – Pam Rosenberg
December 2018 – Jack Nedell And Yassmeen Youssef
November 2018 – Ceci Menchetti
October 2018 – Forest Hallee
July 2018 – Charleen Kress
June 2018 – Andrea Vayda
May 2018 – Matthew Bancroft
April 2018 – Fabienne Dessalines
March 2018 – Carina and Monica Christo
February 2018 – Kryanna Wallace
January 2018 – Louise Herman
December 2017 – Kaleem Ahmid
November 2017 – Carolyn Megan
October 2017 – Catherine Byun
September 2017 – Anita Diamant
August 2017 – Katherine Gross
July 2017 – Toni Czekanski
June 2017 – TiElla Grimes
May 2017 – Maria Jerez
April 2017 – Anneli Hershman and Juliana Nazaré
March 2017 – Katie Bayerl
February 2017 – Barbara Sheffels
January 2017 – Kevin Walker
December 2016 – Mimi Curran
November 2016 – Michelle Chen
October 2016 – Vincent Huang
September 2016 – Maura Fertich
May 2016 – Lauren Rubenzahl
April 2016 – Rachel Schowalter
March 2016 – Fiona Vidal-White
February 2016 – Christopher LaFortune
October 2015 – Marissa Simoes
August 2015 – Ethan Koss-Smith
June 2015 – Kara Daniels and Alexandra Patch
May 2015 – Katherine Rooks, Judy Bolton-Fasman, Nancy Butman, Suzanne Bailey-Hererra, Mimi Curran, and Oliver Farnum
November 2014 – Garth Brody
May 2014 – Gizmo Sangco
April 2014 – Rachel Bergquist
February 2014 – Rachel Greenberg
August 2013 – Emily Millman and Tareen D. Wimbish
July 2013 – Jay Cook
June 2013 – Ben Smith
May 2013 – Jeryn Warren
April 2013 – Yeab Minas
December 2012 – Debbie Clemens
November 2012 – Matthew King
September 2012 – Ryan Lambert
August 2012 – Jesse Moskowitz
July 2012 – Lindsey Warriner and Danny Cairns
June 2012 – Wali Hassan
May 2012 – Perrine Marcenac
April 2012 – Alex Greenberg
March 2012 – Emily Eisenhauer
February 2012 – Brent Lowder
January 2012 – Daniel Moss
December 2011 – Nancy Butman
November 2011 – Johnny Sadoff
October 2011 – Kenneth Love Villar
September 2011 – Tianna Tagami
August 2011 – Katrina Grigg-Saito
July 2011 – Rodrigo Garcia
June 2011 – Brandon Abbs
May 2011 – Continuum
March 2011 – Sophia Ezomoghene
June 2010 – Ali Reid
Frame design credits:
Map, Notebook, Scribbles,
Designed by Freepik
Wooden Texture for Background
Designed by Lyashenko / Freepik
These and all other elements arranged by Andria Warren.
Every spring, 826 Boston staff and service members nominate standout volunteers for special superlatives. These superlative awards celebrate the unique personalities, talents, and strengths of each volunteer tutor! Read more about each winner below.
Tom Gagen: Captain Capstone
Roberta Gianfortoni: Most Likely to Be a Digital Mastermind
Jenn De Leon: The Giving Tree
Mia Merchant: Digitally Dynamic
Jeanne Segal: Most Likely to Sing During Tutoring
Bill Stephenson: Most Likely to Remain Calm, Cool, and Collected in the Face of Technical Difficulties
Abby Jiminian: Most Likely to Be Complimented by a 5th Grader
Antoinette Czekanski: Most Charming Volunteer
April Wang: All-Around Volunteer
Beth Hester: Ms. Versatility
Bill Stephenson: Calm, Cool, and Collected
Claire Brislin: All Star
Daven McQueen: Lightyear Award
Derek Miller: Most Earnest Volunteer
Finn Craddock: Most Patient Volunteer
Haleigh Roy: Best Jester
Jill Gallagher: Star Supporter
Juan Molina: Mr. Versatility
Leonidas Acosta: Most Compassionate Volunteer
Lexi Frost: BTU Students’ Biggest Fan
Lisa Pred-Sosa: Most Likely to Teach Us a Thing or Two
Matthew Tung: Bigfoot’s Number One Fan
Queen Wade: Most Inquisitive
Tom Gagen: Super Trooper
Kevin Oodo: Most Traveled
Ceci Menchetti: The Extracurricular All-Star
Pam Rosenberg: Always On-Call
Monica Christo: All in the Family
Gabby Christo: All in the Family
Carina Christo: All in the Family
Jen Dever: Driving the Extra Mile
Lynnette Ramsay: Renaissance Woman
the opportunity to work with 826 Boston even just a few hours each week…It was the most meaningful thing I did in this semester.”
– Ailin, After-School Tutoring Volunteer
