Catherine Buckley began her volunteer journey at Homework House in October of 2018. A Massachusetts native, Catherine is a junior at UMASS Amherst. Despite her hectic schedule, Catherine makes time to volunteer at Homework House at least twice a week. “It's nice working with the younger kids,” she says.  “Coming to Homework House is refreshing. It's great to have a break from being on a college campus where everything is always so serious and high stress.”

Before she became a Homework House volunteer, Catherine had never an opportunity to work with kids in an academic setting and she wasn’t sure that she would enjoy it.  But she does! Now, she wants to continue working with children in some capacity and hopes one day to become a high school teacher.

Her experience at Homework House has taught Catherine the importance of making connections, especially with the children she works with on a regular basis. Although it may sound simple she says, “Sometimes it takes a while to develop connections with the kids, but once you do it's extremely rewarding for both parties.”