[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/students-find-hope-and-connection-at-the-ace\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/students-find-hope-and-connection-at-the-ace\/","headline":"Students Find Hope and Connection at the ACE","name":"Students Find Hope and Connection at the ACE","description":"l-r Certified student tutors Emily Gilbert, Megan Wilkinson, Sam Moore and Sydney Watson gather in the ACE in Brooks Hall. Written by Ben Tomlin Faulkner University\u2019s Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) provides free on-campus tutoring to all students looking for…","datePublished":"2022-07-15","dateModified":"2022-09-01","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/author\/rburylo\/#Person","name":"Rebecca Burylo","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/author\/rburylo\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37a0c97fbd1eda89e38697defcaf0573?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37a0c97fbd1eda89e38697defcaf0573?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Faulkner University","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Official-Horizontal-480x128.png","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Official-Horizontal-480x128.png","width":480,"height":128}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0514-scaled.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0514-scaled.jpg","height":1707,"width":2560},"url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/students-find-hope-and-connection-at-the-ace\/","about":["Current Students","News","Undergraduate"],"wordCount":552,"articleBody":"l-r Certified student tutors Emily Gilbert, Megan Wilkinson, Sam Moore and Sydney Watson gather in the ACE in Brooks Hall. Written by Ben TomlinFaulkner University\u2019s Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) provides free on-campus tutoring to all students looking for help with their studies and achieving their collegiate goals. Located in Brooks Hall on the Montgomery Campus, the ACE tutoring center allows students to make appointments for one-on-one sessions with trained student tutors, all of whom are officially certified by the National Tutoring Association. Students can likewise come in and use the ACE\u2019s library of course textbooks, it\u2019s computer and printing services, or just drop by for a quiet space to study.Savannah Dockins, a Faulkner graduate, has served as director of the ACE for three years and teaches developmental English. \u201cI would call the ACE a safe-zone or a refuge, because everyone in here is kind and compassionate, and when you come in here, you can feel that \u2014regardless of why you\u2019re coming in  – even if it\u2019s just for coffee or printing,\u201d As she continues to cultivate the ACE\u2019s tutorial offerings, she expresses a greater hope. \u201cI would love for the ACE to grow, [because] it\u2019s a lot more than a place to come and get help with academics. It\u2019s about getting more people together, forming bonds, and connecting and hanging out,\u201d she adds. Dockins hopes the ACE will one day grow to be the center for every area of student success and community development at Faulkner.Dockins shares that her biggest concern has been how to spread the word and get more students into the ACE for the help they need. \u201cHow do I get more students to realize how important it is to get help when you\u2019re struggling? There are so many students that are just drowning and they\u2019re not reaching out for help.\u201dSavannah DockinsThe ACE\u2019s goal is to aid students in becoming independent learners. \u201cBeing an independent learner doesn\u2019t mean that you\u2019re always going to have all A\u2019s,\u201d Dockins says. \u201cBeing an independent learner means you can fight through adversity and learn skills that will help you not only academically but will end up helping you in your career.\u201d Dockins assures that when you become an independent learner, you gain confidence, something she hopes students will leave with most of all. \u201cThis is the only job where you want to get fired!\u201d she joked. \u201cYou want the student you are tutoring to eventually say, \u2018You\u2019ve done your job, and I don\u2019t need you anymore,\u2019\u201d she explained.To students who are anxious about seeking help at the ACE, Dockins encourages, \u201cYou have no reason to be nervous. The tutors are understanding and willing to work with you on anything. They\u2019re students, too, and they struggle just like you.\u201d \u201cYour time at Faulkner is whatever you make it out to be. I think the ACE is definitely a place where you can form long lasting relationships, and as you continue to get help, you will see yourself improve as a learner, as a student, and as an individual.\u201dThe ACE is located in Brooks Hall and is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00am-5pm and Friday from 9:00am-2:00pm."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Students Find Hope and Connection at the ACE","item":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/students-find-hope-and-connection-at-the-ace\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]