GoPeer’s Founders Scholarship Winners May 2022
For our first Founders Scholarship, we asked students to submit personal narrative essays about how their GoPeer tutor has supported them throughout their education. The goal was to provide students with an opportunity to practice their writing skills and win one of three prizes.
It was amazing to see the number of submissions and a privilege to hear such inspiring and moving stories. Thank you to all students who submitted their stories and shared their unique perspectives! Even if you did not place, we hope you enjoyed the challenge and encourage you to keep an eye out for future opportunities such as our Founders Scholarship!
Announcing our Founders Scholarship Winners
We’re so excited to present this year’s scholarship winners and congratulate them for their amazing work.
Lance C. — 1st Place
How has GoPeer helped me in my education journey? GoPeer has single-handedly changed my perspective on how I view my education. In my freshman year, I had a 68 percent in my algebra class. The minimum grade to pass any class at my school is 65 percent. I was slacking off at the start of my freshman year as I tried to get a grasp on my math class, but when I saw my low grade I knew I had to do something. If I simply did nothing, I would have to spend an entire summer in summer school, and possibly have to retake the entire class. So, I consulted with my parents to help look for options. That’s when I found GoPeer, and when everything started to turn around.
My tutor, Elizabeth, put concepts into ways that I can personally understand. This is important to me because I have ADHD. My school works hard to teach me in a way that works for me, but I feel that having GoPeer really makes that difference. Having someone who can meet with me one on one and truly understands my learning style has really helped out in the long run. When I started to learn from a completely different perspective, my grade slowly started to turn around. I started learning the lessons and taking more time and effort to understand what they were saying in school. I was less frustrated and had less anxiety. After using GoPeer as a helpful tool to make sure I understood Algebra, I finished the 4th quarter with an 88 percent, 20 percent higher than what I started. I even aced my exam, which would not have been possible without GoPeer! Teachers started to notice all the hard work I put into my classes and they were proud of me, and I was proud of myself. I headed into summer feeling on top of the world and had no worries in the back of my mind.
Coming into this year Elizabeth has continued to help me. This time in Geometry. She is extremely knowledgeable and able to break things down for me in an easy to understand way. Geometry is entirely different from the Algebra she taught me last year but I still benefit so much from our weekly meetings. In addition, I found out she also can tutor in American Sign language. This is helpful because I am taking this class as well. We have a lot of good laughs as she also makes this subject really stand out for me.
In conclusion, GoPeer single-handedly saved my grades and outlook on school. Not only did my tutor teach me the fundamental concepts of math, but she also taught me how to be more organized, and she taught me how to have a better work ethic as well. I applied everything she taught me for the past two years, and my grades have skyrocketed because of it. I will always be grateful for GoPeer and all the things they have enabled me to learn on my school journey. Elizabeth is still my tutor today, and I am far from failing any of my math classes. I would not be the student I am today without the help of GoPeer. I would highly recommend GoPeer for students who have learning disabilities, are starting off trying to improve their grades, or who simply want to master any subject.
Xavier S. — 2nd Place
My GoPeer tutor, Frances, has supported me throughout my second semester of 9th-grade algebra. When I first started at my school, I thought I was a whiz at math. Algebra quickly showed me that I had some gaps. I’m not sure if it was the pandemic, or perhaps my foundation was shaky. After the holidays, my parents came to me and told me I had to get a tutor. I was not excited because I didn’t want anyone in my home, and I was entirely over anything related to Zoom. However, they let me pick who I wanted and I immediately clicked with Frances.
My parents set it up so that I do all of my homework with her, prepared for tests, and requested that she helped me close the gaps I obviously had and didn’t know about. Let’s just say, I had a very low-grade fall semester. Like, an invitation to summer school low grade. I’m happy to say I am sitting at a solid 93% now. My mother has bragged on her Instagram account about it, and I must say I am proud too. I don’t know what I would have done without Frances. I used to feel insecure at test time. But, the night before tests and quizzes, I set up my meeting with her (I do it myself now), and we go over the material. I can ask as many questions as I need, and the way she explains really breaks it down and helps me to better understand the material.
She even works with and around my basketball schedule. She agrees to meet with me at 8:00 pm my time which is 11:00 pm her time. She is very patient with me, and I am very grateful for her support and that GoPeer exists. I have no idea what I am going to do next year because she is a senior. But, I am confident that I will be ok because when she sees that I am missing something, she will start with that the next meeting and explain why we’re going over it. I enjoy our time together. I am even able to help other people now with confidence. That is how my tutor, Francis, and GoPeer has supported me through my education.
Kaylynne L. — 3rd Place
My name is Kaylynne, and I am a high school sophomore who hopes to attend a high-level University and study social science one day. To study the “soft” sciences at a top University I must do well in all subject areas, even those that I do not like learning the most. GoPeer and primarily my geometry and chemistry tutor, Jason from the University of Maryland have helped me a great deal. I suffer from crippling test-taking anxiety. Jason has not only given me the help I need to go from having C’s in geometry and chemistry to A’s, he has also made me feel confident in my abilities to do well on tests. Jason makes our tutoring sessions fun and is always encouraging me even when I get down on myself. I am often in awe of how easy geometry and especially chemistry come to Jason, and I admire his ability to teach these subjects so well. My school was not able to provide good tutors or even suggest any and I am very grateful to GoPeer and Jason for their services.
Jason is great at taking a problem, breaking it down step by step, and teaching me to do the same. I have never seen myself as someone who is good at math or science but now, I am the one teaching my friends at school these subjects. My chem teacher often asks how I have turned my grades around so well. I tell her about GoPeer’s services and Jason.
At first, I was reluctant to do online tutoring because when I had to do online school, I really didn’t like it. Luckily, Jason is great at teaching in this format, and I went from dreading meeting online to enjoying it and valuing the time he spends teaching and helping me. I cannot thank GoPeer and Jason enough for the help they have provided me, and I hope Jason always has the time to help me with math and science because he has really helped me to see myself as someone who can be successful in these subjects. Even though Jason and I only meet online the time is used extremely well and I often feel like he is right there helping me. I would really recommend GoPeer to anyone who even just wants to raise their confidence before a test. It is a great service with many qualified college students who just want to help others and earn some extra money.
What is GoPeer?
GoPeer.org is the easiest way to find your next tutor! GoPeer pairs K-12 students with qualified college students from top universities for personalized lessons.
GoPeer’s mission is to improve the quality and lower the cost of education by providing high-quality tutoring at 1/3 the national average cost of professional tutoring. This is why all tutoring sessions on GoPeer are always $20/hr when you become a member. Plus, 100% of the $20/hr goes directly to the tutors.
