Co-Founder

I graduated from Austin College in 2020 with a BA in biology. I was a peer tutor for my school’s Academic Skill Center (ASC) teaching various subjects including chemistry, biology, math, and physics. After the pandemic, I found it difficult to find volunteering opportunities because of safety precautions taken for social distancing. I personally felt the pandemic has affected daily life in general especially in the classroom as my last semester of undergraduate was during the transition towards online remote learning. After hearing from other students’ experiences on how they felt they were falling more behind in class, I understood the difficulty in adapting to this challenge. Therefore, my friend and I came up with the idea to establish a free online tutoring service that paired a volunteer high school or college student with a student in need, establishing important peer relationships. My goal for Peer Outreach Connect is to be involved in connecting my community.

Co-Founder

I graduated from Austin College in 2020. Although I am a Biochemistry major, my extensive background working with computers and my school’s IT department has equipped me with the ability to establish an online resource that makes it convenient for both parents of students and volunteers to sign up. I was a Noyce tutor at Austin College preparing students at a local high school for AP Biology. With Peer Outreach Connect, my goal was to create a platform that encourages and strengthens my community, establishing a network that aims to connect multiple communities together. This program seeks to help parents and students after this pandemic especially those of low socioeconomic status by providing them with the necessary resources to improve their education.

Community Outreach Director

I am enrolled at the University of Texas at Dallas, studying Arts and technology which has led me to take many project-based classes. These courses have taught me valuable collaborative and group work skills necessary for real-world situations such as community service. Participating in volunteering opportunities requires developing effective communication and teamwork skills. Therefore, I have decided to partner up with high schools and colleges to find volunteers who want to make a difference in education. As the community outreach director, my focus will be to reach out to elementary and middle schools especially those of lower socioeconomic income. I will also coordinate with high schools and colleges to ensure the best learning environment and experience.

Volunteer Coordinator

I’m currently a sophomore in high school, who is enthusiastic to find ways to serve my community. After hearing about this program, I was fortunately given the opportunity to be a part of Peer Outreach Connect. One of the few ways I could be active in my community was to sign up to be a volunteer tutor where I could help families who might not have the resources to hire paid tutoring services. As a volunteer coordinator, my role is to facilitate and organize tutoring sessions between students and volunteer tutors. I will ensure the safety, privileges, and confidentiality of information for both parties involved to establish a safe, but effective learning environment. Enjoying my time as a volunteer tutor, I would like to share that experience with other high school and college students who might seek to give back to their communities.

Volunteer Coordinator

I am a junior in high school, approaching senior year and applying for colleges. After researching different volunteer opportunities, I discover how they don’t fit with my busy schedule. Even though I wanted to volunteer, I couldn’t commit to fixed hours as a full-time student. That’s when I discovered Peer Outreach Connect which allowed me to select hours that was convenient for me. With this program I was able to select when and how long I wanted to volunteer each week. As a high school student this greatly helped with with my busy schedule while also accumulating volunteer hours. Since becoming a volunteer, I now have the opportunity to contribute to my community while also preparing for college. As a volunteer coordinator, I would like to share this unique program with other students especially high schoolers who are seeking community service opportunities.