University of Minnesota Morris student Bethzabeth Pina ‘28, Worthington, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Outstanding Tutor Award through the College Reading & Learning Association’s (CRLA) International Tutor Training Program Certification. Established in 1995, the Outstanding Tutor Award honors one undergraduate peer tutor each year from CRLA-certified programs who exemplifies the highest standards of tutoring excellence and student support and who demonstrates leadership and commitment to student success.
Pina is an active tutor in the Student Success Center at UMN Morris, serving as a study strategist tutor, as well as a tutor for Spanish and education courses. As a Spanish and secondary education major, she also served as an embedded tutor for Spanish during spring semester, helping students in the classroom.
In her essay for the award, Pina wrote about resilience and the importance of tutoring programs at colleges.
“Everyone enters college with different ways of studying and I enjoy helping students figure out what best helps them study and learn. My work as a tutor has taught me so much about the education field and learning process, and I can't wait to incorporate these same values into my future classroom.”
Pina was nominated for the award by Rebecca Cofer, the learning assistance coordinator in the Student Success Center, with support from Adam Coon, associate professor of Spanish. In their nomination, they noted that Pina is a go-to tutor, someone who is always willing and ready to help while also never pushing students too hard.
“Her sessions are full of kindness and authenticity, as she knows the struggles students face when learning a new language. She is the first to volunteer to help another tutee when needed, work at an event for on-demand tutoring, and jump into any of our pilot programs. Bethzabeth demonstrates excellence, leadership and a strong commitment to student success. She wants to be an educator after she graduates and believes that her work as a tutor will impact that experience. [We] can say without a doubt that Bethzabeth Pina is a one of a kind tutor who makes her center and institution better because of the way she leads and serves as a tutor.”
The UMN Morris Student Success Center holds both Level I and Level II certifications from CRLA. To learn more about the learning assistance services offered at UMN Morris, contact the Student Success Center.