Over the past week, the Engage Arkansas team interviewed two members of the Southeast Arkansas Education Service Cooperative’s Smart Start Program for February’s civic challenge, spotlighting youth leadership across Arkansas.
Smart Start, an AmeriCorps initiative, provides reading and math tutoring to K–5 students in Southeast Arkansas who are at risk of academic failure. Members serve at least 900 hours, offering weekly one-on-one and small group tutoring, tracking student progress, supporting daily school activities, completing service projects, and serving as positive role models while gaining hands-on experience in education.
By highlighting programs like Smart Start, we underscore the vital role youth leadership plays in building confidence, critical thinking skills, and the next generation of community leaders.
Member Interview: Ryli Birch
Background & Motivation
1. Can you share about yourself and why you chose to become a Smart Start member? I chose to become a Smart Start member because I have a passion for helping younger students and making a difference in their lives. Since I plan to become a teacher in the future, this program allows me to gain experience while helping students grow academically and build confidence.
2. How did you first get connected with the Smart Start program? I first got connected with the Smart Start program through my school. I learned about the opportunity and was excited to be part of something that helps students succeed while also helping me grow as a leader.
3. What motivated you to work with younger students in reading and math? I was motivated because reading and math are important skills, and I wanted to help students feel more confident and successful. I enjoy encouraging them and helping them understand things they may struggle with.
4. What does youth leadership mean to you personally? Youth leadership means being a positive role model, helping others, and making a difference in your school and community. It means using your voice and actions to support and inspire others.
Role and Responsibilities
5. Can you describe your role as a Smart Start member? My role is to tutor and support younger students, helping them improve their reading and math skills while encouraging them and building their confidence.
6. What does a typical tutoring session look like for you? A typical session includes helping students read, practice sight words, and work through math problems. I guide them, answer questions, and encourage them to do their best.
7. What grade levels or subjects do you primarily support? I primarily support elementary students in reading and math, helping them build strong foundational skills.
Impact and Personal Growth
8. How has being part of Smart Start helped you build skills that you apply in your everyday life? Smart Start has helped me build communication, patience, and responsibility. These skills help me in school, leadership roles, and everyday situations.
9. What leadership skills have you strengthened the most? I have strengthened my communication, patience, and responsibility the most. I have learned how to work with others and support them in a positive way.
10. Has this experience changed how you see your role in your school or community? How? Yes, it has shown me that I can make a difference. It has helped me become more confident and realize the importance of helping and leading others.
Empowering Others
11. What do you think makes a great leader? A great leader is someone who is kind, patient, responsible, and willing to help others succeed. They encourage others and set a positive example.
The Smart Start Experience
12. How has working with other Smart Start members helped you grow? Working with other members has helped me become a better team player. We support each other and work together to help students succeed.
13. How would you describe the Smart Start program to someone unfamiliar with it? Smart Start is a program where student leaders help younger students improve their reading and math skills while building leadership skills and making a positive impact.
Closing & Testimonial
14. What has been the most rewarding part of your leadership journey so far? The most rewarding part has been seeing students improve and gain confidence in themselves.
15. What advice would you give to new Smart Start members? My advice would be to be patient, positive, and encouraging. Your support can make a big difference in a student’s life.
16. What impact do you hope to continue making through Smart Start? I hope to continue helping students grow academically and gain confidence while also becoming a stronger leader and future educator
Member Interview: Jamie Noonkester
Background & Motivation
1. Can you share about yourself and why you chose to become a Smart Start member? / How did you first get connected with the Smart Start program? My name is Jamie Noonkester. I am 19 years old and I chose to become a smart start member because I was interested in working with kids and being involved with my local school district. I had a close friend that was a member of the smart start program, and he told me how to get an application to apply.
2. What motivated you to work with younger students in reading and math? I remember when I was a kid and older kids would come into our class and help certain students and now, I realize those were members of the smart start program. So, this made me want to be a helping hand to the kids like I remember those ones we had.
3. What does youth leadership mean to you personally? Leadership means being able to work just as hard as the people around you while also being able to lead by example and help them out. Role and Responsibilities
4. Can you describe your role as a Smart Start member? My role as a smart start member is to aid and assist the children with their work whenever they need my help as well as to assist the teacher in helping the kids learn the new material that is being covered.
5. What does a typical tutoring session look like for you? For me, I take the kids to a private room with a whiteboard, and I then ask them where they are struggling with the work we are covering. Then I proceed to go over the entire problem very slowly and then give them a chance to do one on their own as I walk around and spend time one on one with the kids that continue to struggle until they grasp it.
6. What grade levels or subjects do you primarily support? I work in the 4th grade and primarily work on math with the kids being that I am assigned to a 4th grade math teachers’ class.
Impact and Personal Growth
7. How has being part of Smart Start helped you build skills that you apply in your everyday life? It has helped me with my communication skills, especially when it comes to handling younger children. It has also taught me how to break things down to the smallest form of understanding in order to be able to teach it to someone.
8. What leadership skills have you strengthened the most (e.g., communication, responsibility, patience, teamwork)? My communication and patience. The kids are great but they’re still going to get on my nerves and especially me being the only male in the building and also being younger and being able to understand their interest and trends they like to talk to me A LOT. So I’ve learned how to build up my patience when they start to test me.
9. Has this experience changed how you see your role in your school or community? How? It most definitely does I went to this school system and graduated here and now I work alongside some of my own elementary teachers and now that I see behind the scenes of what they go through and what they have to deal with and the impact they made on me now I know and understand my role and the example I have to set for the kids.
Empowering Others
10. What do you think makes a great leader, especially for other youth who may be looking up to you? A great leader is someone who leads by example. I can’t stress this enough. It doesn’t matter what you tell the kids, but if you aren’t following your own words then they won’t listen when you try to help them or give them advice.
The Smart Start Experience
11. How has working with other Smart Start members helped you grow as a team player and leader? It was amazing. I’ve had the pleasure of working across the hallway with one of my best friends that I’ve known since 6th grade and to be able to understand what each other are going through and then work together on some projects has just been a great time and learning experience.
12. If you had to explain the Smart Start program to someone unfamiliar with it, how would you describe it? You are assigned to a grade and class and it is your responsibility to see the things that might go unseen due to the teachers being so busy what I mean by that is if you look around at the kids they make a very obvious face that says “Im confused” and it’s your job to recognize that face and go and make it make sense for them and most of the time it’s not that hard you’d be surprised what a little one on one will do for a kid.
Closing & Testimonial
13. What has been the most rewarding part of your leadership journey so far? The most rewarding part of this job is to help a kid and watch that light bulb come on and watch them suddenly understand what made no sense to them minutes prior and know that they are now back on track and will succeed in this material.
14. What advice would you give to new Smart Start members? You must be compassionate and caring to the kids and be slow to get upset, especially when they don’t seem to understand what to you seems so easy. You must be nice and understanding and always ready to listen because sometimes these kids just need someone to listen to them
This article is part of the Engage Arkansas 2026 Civic Challenge. The Civic Challenge focuses on one vital impact area affecting Arkansans statewide each month. In February, Engage Arkansas highlighted the importance of youth leadership. To learn more about Engage Arkansas, visit EngageArkansas.org.
Axton Tackett, February 2026
