We are thrilled to congratulate the outstanding recipients of the 2025 SYLF Scholarships. Over the past four years, they have made a lasting impact through their consistent dedication and service. These exceptional high school tutors have volunteered their time each week to support students across the country, encouraging academic growth and a genuine love for learning. Their commitment, compassion, and leadership have truly set them apart. We now invite you to hear each recipient share how their experience with Tutors 4 Kid has shaped their personal journey and inspired their future path.
Shaurya B.
Although I haven’t regularly volunteered with Tutors 4 Kid beyond a Christmas charity event, my experiences in other tutoring settings have shown me how transformative teaching and learning can be. Mentoring children at my local library in chess and maths taught me that teaching goes far beyond sharing facts; it’s about fostering trust, sparking curiosity, and adapting to each learner’s needs. Whether I’m helping a child master arithmetic or supporting a classmate through complex material, I’ve discovered that genuine connection fuels deeper understanding. Balancing these commitments with my soccer season, summer internships, and other extracurriculars, but every time a student finally solves a problem, I remember why tutoring matters. It builds confidence, nurtures potential, and strengthens the community—one student at a time. Tutoring also improves my own foundations. Explaining concepts forces me to revisit and deepen my understanding, making me a stronger student myself, but also reinforces patience, clear communication and creativity in solving problems through fundamental understanding. Each lesson fosters confidence in learners who might otherwise feel discouraged, and seeing a child light up when they master a concept reminds me why this service is so vital—it enriches both their world and mine.
Kyran L.
Throughout my time with Tutors 4 Kid, I have gotten the opportunity to learn about how to help others and how to give back to the community. Working closely with parents and tutees taught me the importance of clear communication and flexibility. Each family has different concerns and needs, and learning how to listen actively plays a big part. I contributed through helping with behind-the-scenes support, coordinating schedules, addressing parent questions, and ensuring the program ran smoothly. Above all, Tutors 4 Kid has taught me the importance of collaboration and teamwork. In addition to developing these skills, this experience with Tutors 4 Kid has helped me grow personally and professionally. I am more confident in my ability to handle challenges and more willing to try new things. Being part of a community that values education and service has inspired me to continue to volunteer and seek out opportunities where I can make a real difference.
Shawn L.
Tutor 4 Kid wasn’t just an opportunity for me to share knowledge with the younger generation; it was an opportunity to learn about communicating with others. When I first tutored students at a summer camp on journalism and public speaking, I initially struggled to capture their attention. However, when developing my lesson plan, I realized that to make a passionate connection with students, one must understand other perspectives. From my surveys of my students, I became aware of how slideshows and lectures can be monotonous for them. To rectify this issue, I started to orient my seminars into exercises, like having students conduct mock interviews with TAs. Understanding others isn’t a lesson that I only applied to teaching, but in everyday situations, such as giving the benefit of the doubt to individuals who seem overly frustrated. Working for Tutor 4 Kid not just impacted my interpersonal perspective, but also my community. By using Tutor 4 Kid as a platform, I was able to help younger students feel more confident about their ability to approach others. I was also able to help them acquire practical skills like video editing from filming their interviews at the annual Cardboard Yacht Regatta in Santa Monica. As I continue my academic career at the University of Washington, I will continue to carry the skills I’ve acquired from Tutor 4 Kid to inspire the next generation.