Happy Friday!
One of the most important gifts my parents gave me was my education. And when your parents are immigrants, who came to the US to live out their American Dream, you can bet education was priority number one for me growing up. Small wonder then, that as an adult, I am also passionate about giving this gift to others.
In LA, as in New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia and many, many other cities around the country, Minds Matter is committed to giving low-income, high-achieving students access to a college education. They do this by providing weekly instruction and mentorship, that is outside of the students’ school work. Every weekend during the academic year, these students receive additional instruction in math and writing, test prep, and practice their public speaking skills with debates and in-class discussions on leadership and current events.
In addition, these students spend the summer after their Sophomore and Junior years attending summer classes at universities in the US and across the globe.
I’ve had the pleasure of mentoring a student since her Sophomore year, and she’s now a Senior. Watching her and her classmates interact over the years, it’s easy to see the impact this program and we, their mentors, are having on their lives. Each year they grow in confidence and maturity. I know I have learned as much from my mentee as she has from me, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity.
To learn more about Minds Matter, check out this video:
And visit them at www.mindsmatter.org or (for you LA locals: www.mindsmatterla.org). If you’d like to make a donation to Minds Matter, consider donating to my campaign, benefitting Minds Matter LA, at www.crowdrise.com/GORATANA.
How has education impacted your life? Let me know in the comments!
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