Middlesex Community College attended the 2026 New England Peer Tutoring Association (NEPTA) Conference at Providence College. Following the theme Future of Academic Support, 25 student leaders represented MCC’s Academic Centers for Enrichment (ACE), including three groups who presented workshops.
“This experience was very beneficial for my learning and growth,” said Shreyasi Varsani, an MCC computer science student, of Burlington. “Presenting at the conference helped me build confidence, strengthen my communication skills, and develop as a leader. I also gained new ideas and perspectives that I can apply in my own tutoring sessions to better support students. It was a great opportunity to represent ACE and share the work we are doing to support students.”
Varsani presented Future-proofing Academic Support: Progressive Resources for Virtual and In-person Tutoring. During the session, she spoke on the benefits of using the Socratic Method in her tutoring sessions to promote critical thinking and independence. A Supplemental Instructor (SI) Leader for precalculus for engineering and science, Varsani has improved her confidence and communication skills by working for ACE.
Business administration student Phirak Kong, of Lowell, became a tutor because he is passionate about helping others succeed. As an MCC tutor, he hones skills such as communication, patience, adaptability and leadership. At NEPTA, Kong enjoyed hearing different perspectives and strategies while reflecting on his own approach and stepping outside of his comfort zone.
“Attending the NEPTA conference was a meaningful and inspiring experience that reinforced my commitment to helping others succeed,” Kong said. “It showed me the value of collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning, and I am excited to apply what I learned to improve tutoring practices and better prepare students for both academic and professional success.”
Elizabeth Mood, of Lowell, is a liberal arts and sciences student concentrating on creative writing. Calling her experience working in ACE “life-changing,” she has become a more involved student and found a sense of community. During the conference, she helped run an interactive workshop to show how choices made in the tutoring center model positive behaviors and soft skills to encourage lifelong learning.
“By turning the workshop into a game, the participants were extremely engaged,” Mood said. “Whether you're brand new or an experienced tutor, having a room full of student leaders sharing their ideas is extremely rewarding. The strongest ideas come from a range of perspectives! It made me want to be a presenter so that I could help encourage student leaders of all experience levels to feel comfortable sharing their ideas. NEPTA makes it feel like we can really push the needle on what it means to help students achieve their goals.”
At Middlesex, ACE offers individual and group tutoring from faculty-recommended student leaders who have shown expertise in subjects such as math, writing and science. Student leaders teach study methods, answer questions, and explain course expectations.
NEPTA provides professional and program development for MCC’s peer tutors and tutoring programs. Organized by and for peer tutors for both two- and four-year colleges, the conference provided an opportunity for students to grow, network and share their skills. At the conference, Middlesex students were led by Henny Corell, MCC’s ACE STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) Specialist.
“Experiences like this give peer tutors a chance to see what other tutoring programs offer, and helps them to enhance their own tutoring skills,” Corell said. “Often, we come back from this conference with ideas of new things we can offer here at MCC. There were over 25 different workshops offered which presented on a wide variety of topics related to helping students succeed in the classroom.”