Alumni Feature: Kailey Graham Interview

Our Executive Director, Owen, has been busy interviewing LBN alumni to learn more about their experience with Learning Buddies! Their contributions and time have been invaluable to our growth, and now, their advice and feedback will assist us as we continue to expand. This month’s interviewee is Kailey Graham, a volunteer who has mentored in three different schools with LBN! Kailey is currently a practicing lawyer, and continues to apply the soft skills she gained from LBN throughout her career.

Thank you for taking the time to return to LBN, Kailey! We’re grateful for all the work you put into LBN and so proud of how it has grown from your initial efforts. 

Owen: Hi Kailey! Thank you for joining us. Our first question for you is what was your involvement in Learning Buddies Network?

Kailey: I started with Learning Buddies in 2015 as a Mentor, and I worked in three different schools. I started in my undergrad and continued while I finished my degree, and then into law school. In that time I [progressed] from being a Mentor to a Program Coordinator, and then an Executive Coordinator.

Owen: Wow, amazing! And volunteering through law school must have been really difficult. Thank you for doing that!

Owen: Where are you now in your education and career?

Kailey: I’m done [with] school now. While I was volunteering with LBN, I did my undergrad and my law school degree, and I'm a practicing lawyer now.

Owen: Wow. That's amazing! Congratulations.

Kailey: Thank you!

Owen: Let me jump back a little bit. How did you manage to balance both being in law school and being an Executive Coordinator?

Kailey: I honestly really loved having the balance. Some people would question why I chose that volunteer activity instead of something directly related to law. But I really enjoyed the balance in keeping me more well-rounded and having that break to refresh your mind and focus on something else. I think it honestly helped keep my life in check, as opposed to being an added stress.

Owen: I completely agree! Definitely, I felt the same way as an Executive Coordinator, I felt that going to programs is like a break from all the stress that was going on in my academic life.

Kailey: Yeah. And working with kids is just so enjoyable and gives you so much energy—it just refreshes you. When you go to school, there's a lot of exhausted young adults who are on caffeine burnout. And then, you go [to the program] and color with kids, and it's like [taking a break].

Owen: Yeah, exactly! It's a completely different environment. I was one of those caffeine-addicted undergrads. [Laugh] Our next question here is, how do you think Learning Buddies Network has helped prepare you for where you are now in your career?

Kailey: So, I worked with volunteers who were in all different areas of their schooling—like engineers, healthcare. There were people who went to school [and] wanted to go into education, so they saw it as being directly applicable. But I think no matter what it was, it helped develop so many skills that are really useful for any future position, from teamwork to leadership [...] to communication. And being able to work with young children, your fellow volunteers, and your coordinators—it's just a lot of great soft skills.

Owen: I completely agree! I really like how you touched on [how] there are so many different people at Learning Buddies Network that you get to work with. It's remarkable! Like, I got to work with you—that was such an incredible opportunity! And being able to work with people with such different educations and with such different factors in their lives. It's so interesting.

Kailey: It gives you such an invaluable perspective and humility to just teach others, and then also learn from them.

Owen: Thanks, Kailey. And the next question here is, what advice do you have for current LBN volunteers?

Kailey: My advice would be, it is what you make of it—and that applies to everything in life. I had some volunteers who would come just for their high school volunteer credit, and that's [all] it ended up being for them.

[On the other hand,] I had other volunteers who were super passionate and enthusiastic, and they would come excited to engage with their buddies. They would prepared extra materials that were adapted to what their buddy liked. [For example,] if [the buddies are] really into soccer, they would find soccer books.

And honestly, I just saw magic in those relationships when they really put the extra extra effort in. I saw these incredible connections formed between mentors and mentees and also between fellow volunteers who are just engaged—[it was really exciting] to be there, you know?

Owen: Yeah, I completely agree. I remember one of our mentors made this giant clock, out of cardboard. It was so cute.

Kailey: Oh, that's amazing. For math?

Owen: Yeah. [It was made for] one of our math programs. It's so cool. So I completely [understand] the volunteers who put in that extra effort. Really, our programs are special. [...] And our last question here is, what is your most memorable experience from the Learning Buddies Network?

Kailey: I mean, I have a lot of memorable experiences, but I think I'd probably think about my first buddy. I was just starting with LBN and not quite sure what to expect of the students. I remember on either our first or second session, it was 2015 and he was like, “What do you think about Justin Trudeau and the election?” And he was in Grade 2! [Laugh] And that just really stunned me, right? Cause I wasn't expecting that. And I guess that just showed me never to underestimate the buddies or anyone in the program, because everyone has their thing and so much to offer and that was just super cool to be like, “Yeah, let's talk about politics.” [Laugh] [...] And from then, I [thought that] kids are amazing and to never doubt how much they take in the world.

Owen: No kidding. Completely! Like seeing a [second grader] have that passion at that age. That must be incredible.

Kailey: Yeah.

Owen: It's so cool. Well, different from your answer, my first buddy was also my most memorable experience just because he was so full of energy and just loved to be there. He came up to me and jumped into my arms [during] that first session. He was so cute and sweet.

Kailey: Awww! That probably helped you really feel comfortable in the program too.

Owen: Oh, a hundred percent. That's like having a Grade 10 mentor coming [from an exhausting school day], and being embraced by a little kid. That just made me fall in love with this program.

Kailey: Yeah, for sure. It's hard sometimes when some of the buddies are more standoffish or they don't wanna be there, and that kind of feeds it back into a loop where you don't really wanna be there either, you know? [The positive] energy is just changing.

Owen: Yeah, for sure. Amazing. Well, thank you so much, Kailey! Fantastic interview. I'll talk to you soon. Bye!