Warren Biro visited California two years ago from Manhattan, had an In-N-Out Double-Double, and never left. A graduate of Rutgers University, he's a crossword writer for The New York Times, an avid motorcyclist, and a Miniature Schnauzer owner. He begins law school in the fall, and he enjoys yelling "Objection!" at inappropriate moments. He's incredibly thankful for the good times and great people he's met at 826LA, and for all the super-cool stuff he's gotten from the Time Travel Mart. Warren is a close personal friend of Mr. Barnacle.

Ever since Ashwin Deshmukh began volunteering at 826LA, everyone who knows him has noticed a marked shift in his behavior. Where once his hobbies included throwing Dobermans at old ladies and running red lights in his Trans-Am, he's now devoted himself to finding the cure for hangnails and escorting ladybugs out of harm's way. In addition, becoming a more altruistic member of society seems to have caused him to dress better. Black leather jackets and Tuff Skins have been replaced by an exclusive wardrobe of very sophisticated coats and ties.

It's become more than clear that the only explanation for all of this is that while he's been helping kids to improve in the after-school tutoring program, the after-school tutoring program has been helping to improve him. And now, to top it all off (if that wasn't reward enough), he's gotten a prize for it too. In appreciation for being selected VOTM, Ashwin would just like to thank all the little people who made it possible (and by "little people" he means actual little people—the children—who are all shorter than he is). He plans on keeping his VOTM trophy prominently displayed on his…what? There's no actual trophy? What about a lapel pin? How about a certificate of some kind? Oh, I see. You just get you mug-shot shown on the interwebz. Well, Ashwin is still very proud of the honor, and he still has plans to brag about it just as much as he brags about being levitated once by David Copperfield at a magic show when he was seven.

Also, when he's not sweating through tough fifth-grade math homework like figuring out the area of a parallelogram, Ashwin likes watching the films of Jean-Luc Godard, riding his Raleigh three-speed, and listening to David Bowie (but not all at the same time).

Carol Feucht is back in high school thanks to 826LA's in-school projects. Even though faculty members ask her for a hall pass and students ask her if she's new to the class, Carol actually graduated from UC San Diego with a BA in Urban Studies & Planning. During her sophomore year of college, she penned an essay about her vacuuming obsession for a general education course, and she kind of liked it. She has since realized that writing is full of possibilities, and when she tutors, she hopes that students also recognize the possibilities in their own writing. In addition to writing and vacuuming, she enjoys ridiculous people and ridiculous ideas. Carol's newest life goal is to kayak the LA River.

Joanna Sese involuntarily found herself back in her native Los Angeles after a voluntary four-year hiatus. Downtrodden and missing the joys of doing something constructive, she began to tutor at 826LA East. She likes helping students write up alternative versions of Candyland, because what good is a world if you can't eat it? A solid algebra throwback is always just dandy, too.

In addition to being a proud 826 volunteer, Joanna works with WriteGirl, a Los Angeles-based non-profit that empowers teen girls through writing. She is also a terrible waitress, but she will serve you the sky with a big slice of lemon if you (a) are polite or (b) stay home and make a sandwich.