Cordelia McGee-Tubb tutors for Curry Senior Center’s Senior Vitality program. The program’s main goal is to introduce and teach seniors to use technology (primarily iPads and Fitbits) to support their well-being and health. Since the program is a year long, seniors get placed in different year-long cohorts. Cordelia started tutoring with the first cohort on May 24 of 2018 and has been with the group since.
With many class topics to cover in a year, a tutor is highly needed. Cordelia has been a consistent aid to other CTN programs and continues to do wonderful work as a volunteer at Senior Vitality. Since her first day tutoring, Curry Senior Center and CTN staff received great feedback on Cordelia’s knowledge and character. They appreciate her kindness and patience with them: The students really enjoy their tutoring times with her and are often eager to sign up for slots with her.
Above this, Cordelia takes her role as a tutor above and beyond what is required of her. On a weekly basis, Cordelia not only gives detailed input about her tutoring times with individual students, but asks questions and voices concerns about their learning. She vocalizes ideas for the program and suggestions for learners. She also improves the seniors’ interaction with their iPads with her background knowledge in accessibility features for technology (which the instructors and Curry staff admit they have little experience with).
Cordelia even reaches out to her own community, sharing her experiences at Senior Vitality in hopes of encouraging others to be aware and potentially be future tutors. Not only that, but Cordelia is often willing to take on more than just her shift. If there is a need for a sub and she is free, Cordelia will jump in and fill the role for another Senior Vitality tutor.
Cordelia’s learner Pat Hayashi shared this: “Cordelia is always so chipper, smiling when she held me through my perplexed iPad problems … I thank her for showing me how to use Dropbox to safeguard my unending pics of my pets and my new grandson. Cordelia proves a young person can teach and learn from a senior. Seniors still can learn things! I learned a new way to read through the library application too. One generation helping another.”
When she isn’t volunteering, Cordelia works as a comics artist! She received her MFA in comics from California College of the Arts and draws autobio webcomics. She’s also working on her first book, a comic memoir about anxiety. “I also illustrate most of my slides for my public speaking engagements. I’m super into comics that are accessible to readers with vision impairments.”
From the instructor and students of Senior Vitality’s cohort 1, we want to thank Cordelia for her outstanding work as a volunteer within the program. Thank you for all your hard work, Cordelia!
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