Student Tutors Reviving Identity through Volunteerism and Education

STRIVE was founded in 2019 to help underprivileged students in the DFW metroplex have the chance to live up to their true potential. Our initiative first started as a means for Refugee and ESL students to work with select mentors. Our work focused on helping the students overcome language barriers, learn that diversity is indeed accepted, and to think beyond primary education. This initiative was a success as we had a lot of students interested in higher education after various discussions.

Unfortunately, many of them struggled to gain acceptance due to the compounding effects of the language barrier. Without a solid grasp of English, performance in various other subjects takes a significant hit. Based on this dilemma, we decided that it was essential to develop a tutoring program for these students to connect them with tutor-mentors from similar backgrounds who would guide the students and allow them to overcome this barrier.

We see a bright future for these students, and we want to tap into their potential by providing them with one-on-one subject strategy training and educational advice. Our motto is that every student should have the right to succeed regardless of their background. Language should not be an obstacle to success. We currently work with Lake Highlands High School in the Richardson Independent School District (RISD). Currently looking to expand, we look forward to continuing our mission to eliminate educational disparities.