Tutoring Through Nonprofits with the Community Engagement Club

Stanford Online High School, as an online school, has the advantage of uniting students across the globe and thus creating a world-wide community of learners. Our students are dedicated to partnering with organizations whose missions they believe in, attempting in this way to bridge the gap in education by using these platforms to gain wider outreach. The organizations that students volunteer with also provide the opportunity to connect with people from all walks of life whom students wouldn’t encounter otherwise, serving as a two-way avenue of learning. 

One of our clubs, the UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees), seeks to provide an opportunity for its members to have a more direct impact on the lives of refugees. The president of this club, senior Chloe Tsang, found one such opportunity through the Paper Airplanes organization: this non-profit tutors conflict-affected individuals from countries like Turkey and Syria through six different programs to practice and improve their English. The goal is to get these individuals' lives back on track so they can find jobs that will help them sustain themselves and their families. The UNHCR works with the Youth Exchange Program, one of the 6 options, which focuses on helping youth in grades nine and above. After students receive training to understand the cultural differences and how they can approach the refugees respectfully, tutoring sessions are coordinated between the tutor and tutee. The training heightens the cultural awareness of the tutors, allowing them to navigate the relationship with the student by understanding the background and conflict that surrounds them. As Chloe describes it, “You come away with an experience where you interact with someone whose life is totally different from yours, and you’re helping them by passing down knowledge while learning empathy.” 

Chloe has first-hand experience with Paper Airplanes. She was matched with a student in late September, whom she guided through the school year and helped prepare for the exams. However, since these individuals are conflict-affected, circumstance can cause you to get out of touch as problems arise in their area that causes them to lose contact. When this happens, you will get rematched with someone else. For Chloe, this experience was invaluable, since “as OHS students, we have a privilege to have this education and have a roof over our heads, and with this privilege comes a responsibility to help others who don’t have as much.” 

Tutoring for Paper Airplanes can be done through the UNHCR Club or the Global Teens Club. There are currently 13 students from OHS going through the training. The UNHCR Club introduces students from OHS to human rights crises, cultivating understanding, action, and empathy. After an educational chapter in the fall semester, students engage in various campaigns in the spring. This club assists in educating our students on how they can approach a cause and make an impact.

Nono Horiuchi’s profile on Code4Tomorrow

Another student wanted to share her knowledge of Python and programming, teaching a 6-week class over Zoom to underprivileged students around the world through the Code4Tomorrow organization. These twice a week classes, given by junior Nono Horiuchi, were small so that students could receive personalized attention. Nono, along with another teacher, would design practice problems, host office hours, and create sample games, engaging in many practices our OHS instructors demonstrate throughout the school year. Students were asked to make a project at the end of the course under supervision from the teachers, and Nono was impressed by one of them who made a space shooter game using pygame. Nono describes this as a “heartwarming and humbling experience to be able to make a positive learning experience in someone’s life.” She also spoke about the fear she felt that students might not find these topics interesting, but after seeing some students making programs based on her practice problems, she felt happy and was reminded that passion in a subject can make all the difference. Since Nono lives in an area that lacks resources for STEM education, she knew the value of sharing her computer science knowledge and helping students find their own resources to continue their pursuit of knowledge. Students interested in this opportunity can apply through the code4tomorrow.org website. 

Innoverge workshop on computer science

Increasing access to a STEM education is a value shared by many OHS students, and it led junior Ilana Nguyen to co-found a non-profit named Innoverge. This non-profit was created as a local community project that brought free hands-on STEM workshops to youth from underrepresented backgrounds. Not only are they committed to increasing diverse representation in STEM fields, but they also teach these fields alongside a Humanities education, so that the next generation of innovators can identify how to create social good. Innoverge currently operates in 34 regions and 12 countries. They have hosted over 200+ events, workshops and camps, and impacted more than 5,000 minority students worldwide. Through her volunteering as Innoverge leader, Ilana has learned the importance of giving back to her community. For her, “it’s amazing to teach these kids and see their faces light up as they grasp a concept, or when the project they were working on comes to life.” She enjoys receiving feedback from the kids that learned new skills and developed a newfound passion in STEM. She believes, “it is the most rewarding work [she has] ever done.” 

Innoverge in-person workshop

If students want to get involved at Innoverge, they have three options: 1. As Regional Directors, they will lead STEMx education outreach in their communities through local workshops and events. This allows them to have access to funding, the curriculum, and 1-on-1 mentorship. 2. As mentors, students can mentor a Middle School student through Innoverge’s incubator program and develop a project together. This opportunity enriches their leadership experience. 3. Lastly, volunteers help regional directors run specific events. If you want to help a regional director lead local or online events, reach out to ilana@innoverge.org. For more information, visit: https://innoverge.org/start-a-chapter/. 

Innoverge in-person computer science workshop

Several OHS students have already volunteered at Innoverge, with Edithe Lam and Jada Badiyan as two examples. Edithe Lam, a sophomore at OHS, helped plan the Innoverge Computer Science x Entrepreneurship (CxE) 3-day free online camp. Along with Jada, she created the curriculum and promoted participation, and during the camp she worked with a group of middle school students on their presentations. She chose this opportunity because she wanted to help underrepresented and underserved children, and believed “they should have more opportunities to find out their interests and explore them.” This camp helped students not just to find joy in STEM but also develop friendships and collaboration. She learned there are multiple methodologies that can assist children in their learning, and that it’s important to know how to teach different personalities and cater to multiple learning styles. 

Artemis Pados tutoring 10th grade math

OHS students also seek to support each other’s home communities. Through the Little Me Academy volunteering program, several students from our school helped teach classes at a Philippine school that senior Ikera Olandesca attends. Students chose a grade (6-11) and subject (from English to math to science) they would feel comfortable teaching, and then got matched with a class. Every week, the student would be sent the material before class so they could prepare to teach a 1 and a half hour session over Skype. Through these expert teaching sessions, students learned more about the process behind teaching and lesson preparation, developing an understanding of education from the teacher’s perspective. For senior Alexandria Thomas, she learned a lot about Philippine culture especially through the literature courses she taught, as they talked about Filipino folklore. Throughout her experience, she “tried to incorporate little inside jokes into the classes, especially with the younger kids, so that they would stay engaged and have fun while learning.” Artemis Pados, a junior at OHS, admires how the experience helped her explore the art of teaching. She gained a lot as a math tutor, stating that “this experience with LMA helped [her] understand that [she] does in fact enjoy teaching and would love this to be a part of [her] future career.” Volunteering helped her learn more about herself and her professional desires. She describes the students as “very bright and enthusiastic to learn”, and believes this was an overall engaging experience. 

Alexandria Thomas tutoring 11th grade English

Similarly, senior Alex Cheng viewed this opportunity as one for growth. He hadn’t “been that good at teaching material before, often [he] is impatient and expects the other person to understand, so it taught [him] how to be patient with the students and work through the problems.” As a Boy Scout, he was able to practice and reinforce teaching methods such as EDGE (Explain, Demonstrate, Guide, Enable), which he is now able to use when helping his classmates with work. He believes he helped students find a better grasp of math and enjoy the process of learning. Senior Emma Dreispiel shares the sentiments of fellow tutors, believing that tutoring through LMA helped them find a passion in understanding each other’s learning processes. She believes she formed important connections with these students, asking engaging questions throughout the class sessions and allowing their passion to guide them in answering. The students would pray before every class, and Emma thought this was “a reminder that we must be grateful for the opportunities we have, and understand our motivations for seeking higher education.” After the session ended, Emma felt that that “[she] would miss the students very much, as they became dear to [her] throughout the teaching sessions.” The students created a video and thank-you card, which she felt touched to receive as she could tell her time had been well spent in tutoring these classes. 

Emma Dreispiel tutoring 6th grade English

Students who want to find more opportunities to tutor and connect with communities should reach out to the Community Engagement Club, by emailing Ms. Burson-Ryan (cbursonryan@stanford.edu) or Noah Giles (negiles@ohs.stanford.edu). The CE Club is committed to connecting students at OHS with volunteering opportunities, be that tutoring or book drives, and is a resource for students who want to give back to their communities.