Growing up in a poor household in Jamaica, Roy began working at a young age in the construction industry, manually moving concrete and forming buildings' foundations. Life was hard, and he did not have regular meals. Consequently, due to his family's need for Roy's financial contribution, he could not attend school regularly. The work was labor-intensive and demanding. He found a new opportunity, cleaning the beaches in his community, turning them from dirty black sand back to their white sand beauty. Eventually, Roy married and immigrated to the U.S. in 2019.

In Jamaica, Roy spoke Patois, an English-based creole language with West African influences. While his spoken English was established, he did not know how to read or write. Roy recognized that these abilities are necessary to succeed in America.

In October 2021, workers age 25 and over with less education than a high school diploma had the highest unemployment rate of (8.8%). (Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis) 

Roy became a student with Literacy DuPage in January 2021 and was matched with tutor Stephen.

Before retirement and becoming a tutor in December 2020, Stephen was an engineer for a large energy company. His career required international travel, and he enjoyed meeting people of other cultures. Stephen decided to become a volunteer tutor because it combined his love of diverse customs while advancing literacy.