Today we’d like to introduce you to Genelle Sedon

Hi Genelle, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?

All of us are born for a reason, but all of us don’t discover why. Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others.–Danny Thomas. This quote by Danny Thomas absolutely encompasses me. I feel I change the world just by being myself. As an advocate for diversity, I am very involved in my family, career, community, and faith. As a first generation college graduate who was raised by a single mother in West Pittston, Pennsylvania, I earned my master’s degree by the age of 25.
For the last 17 years I’ve advocated for countless students that have come into my classroom in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District. As one of a few diverse educators in the area, and one of 7% of minority educators in Pennsylvania, I’ve mentored numerous students. No matter what school, grade level or subject area I’ve taught, I try to impact all students I encounter. For example, during Covid I drove from house to house each week delivering my seniors a special treat on Fridays to boost morale. I’ve helped expectant teenage mothers gather items such as cribs and maternity clothes (I’ve even called my husband to help me pick up items and deliver them wherever needed). I’ve also filled in as a “mother” on senior night for players who did not have parents at the games. I will continue to do just about anything to support my students and families. From making sure they are connected to community resources to translating for non-English speaking families to encouraging them to move forward with their education. I also incorporate community service projects to teach my students the importance of community involvement. The most recent was making nearly 100 cards for the residents at our VA Hospital in honor of Veteran’s Day. I was a top 3 finalist for the 2020 Young Professional Educator of the Year and was named the 2021 Young Professional Educator of the Year.
I serve on the board of directors for the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Catholic Youth Center. My passion is to assist the CYC Youth Drop in Program. I’ve worked closely with coordinator Rose Daniels. I was instrumental in getting materials needed for the Youth Drop in Program as well as the 4th-6th grade after school program. I’ve also arranged for various community members to speak/spend time mentoring students at the drop in program. For 10 years I’ve raised money and participated in the SPCA Walk for the Animals. I’ve volunteered my time to speak on topics that are important to me such as Diversity, Education and Women of Purpose at various places in my region. Most recently I was named WBRE/WYOU Most Remarkable Woman of 2024. Remarkable Women is a nationwide initiative to honor the influence that women have had on public policy, social progress, and the quality of life, celebrates local women that inspire, lead, and forge the way for other women. I was flown to Los Angeles, California where I was fortunate enough to meet 111 other Remarkable Women thanks to Nexstar Media. There were over 10,000 applicants for the 2024 Remarkable Women’s event.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

After earning my master’s degree, summa cum laude, in education, from The University of Scranton, I was so excited to begin my career in the classroom. I remember running into one of the board of education members from my home school district out in the community. I was ecstatic to let her know I had applied to my alma mater for a position. Her response was that the school district couldn’t hire all alumni and that there were approximately 300 applicants for one job. Her best advice was for me to get on the substitute list and pay my dues like everyone else. I remember walking away from that conversation completely shattered. It was at that moment that I decided every time someone told me N-O, that I would think of it as a New Opportunity. A few months later, I was hired as a full time public educator at a school district a few miles from my home district on my merit. I’ve taken risks and I do not fear failure. I’ve heard more nos than yeses. As a woman I have learned to believe in myself, embrace my power, manifest my dreams into reality and stand strong in even the most terrifying moments. It’s challenging to be a multidimensional woman: a daughter, a wife, a mother, a teacher, a business owner and a community advocate. Of course I want to leave an impact and to be part of something but it’s also important to turn and help others on their journey too.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

Nearly 6 years ago, I launched C & G Tutoring, which specializes in K to 12, college level and SAT prep tutoring. I am a West Pittston native and an honors graduate of Wyoming Area. I earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Scranton in 2004 and her master’s degree in 2007, summa cum laude. Aside from being a small business owner, my experience as a bilingual educator includes elementary, middle and high school as well as college level instruction for the past 17 years. Presently I am an English as a second language program specialist for the Wilkes-Barre Area School District and an adjunct professor for Wilkes University in the education department. I was named the 2021 Young Professionals Educator of the Year and was recognized as one of the Top 25 Women in Business by the Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal for 2022. I was named WBRE/WYOU Most Remarkable Woman for 2024. I am very involved in my community. I serve on the board of directors for the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Catholic Youth Center. I also participated in the Luzerne County SPCA Walk for the Animals for the last decade. My husband Chris and I have 2 children and 2 rescue dogs. I have also volunteered as a Little League coach.

How do you think about luck?

Opening a business with a Google voice phone number, a Facebook page and 3 tutors (my husband, a friend/colleague, and myself) in May of 2018 was a challenge. The three of us tutored six days a week. At the time our daughter was 3 and our son was less than a year old. Finally as C & G Tutoring was gaining momentum, the COVID lockdown from March 2020 to July 2020 hit. I remember talking to my husband and thinking what could we possibly do to continue moving C & G Tutoring forward when we used public spaces for tutoring. Thankfully we switched gears and began offering virtual tutoring sessions. This allowed us to continue tutoring our clients and even reach clients out of our proximity. We added some virtual learning pods and virtual Spanish lessons for children to be social and still stay safe. Due to the pandemic, many students suffered severe learning loss. This allowed my tutoring service to bridge the learning gap with tutoring sessions. I think the work we did after the pandemic truly put C & G Tutoring on the map.

Moving forward my goal is to become the premiere tutoring service when it comes to SAT Tutoring and AP Tutoring. We’ve already had great scores. We’ve had a perfect score in verbal and some very close to perfect scores in both verbal and math.

Pricing:

• Standard SAT Package $600
• Premium SAT package $1,100
• 8 session package $350 K to 12
• AP/Advanced level courses $65 per session virtually

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.candgtutoring.com
• Instagram: candgtutoring
• Facebook: C & G Tutoring

Image Credits

There are all my own photos.