Originally published on 1/13/2021
Hopefully, soon, COVID-19 will be a distant memory. But not too long ago, it was summer, and we were all stuck at home, feeling helpless due to the suffering and challenges that this pandemic brought. Instead of feeling helpless, Prisha Verma, a freshman at Shadow Creek High School, found a way to help. “You don’t have to change the whole world to make a difference,” Prisha says. “One small action can improve someone’s life and make their day. This is something that I really thought about, and I decided to take action.” Hoping to provide some relief from the COVID-19 pandemic that left scores of parents struggling to meet ends and virtual learning students without social support structure that is provided at schools, Prisha, along with her best friend, freshman Michelle Chen of Kinkaid High School, founded Vern Tutoring Classroom, to virtually tutor students in grades 2nd through 8th. Determined to make an impact, this dynamic duo has provided free tutoring to elementary and middle school students for months to many students. “Michelle and I have each spent over 200 hours outside the classes we teach, continuously working to improve Vern Tutoring,” Prisha said. Since that summer, Vern Tutoring Classroom has grown greatly and has recruited more and more high-schoolers who are motivated to help. Together, the tutors plan to continue making an impact in the lives of one student at a time. As a result of the pandemic, people have lost their jobs and small businesses have suffered because of safety precautions. This led to multiple families struggling to make ends meet in the winter, and as a result, local food banks saw unprecedented food shortages and extraordinary long lines for free meals. Wanting to help in any way they could, on December 28, 2020, Vern Tutoring Classroom donated what they had raised to the Houston Food Bank and helped provide 600 meals! Now, since over 15 million American children don't have enough money for school supplies, Vern Tutoring Classroom’s next goal is to partner with local schools truly in need and raise at least $1000 to buy school supplies for the underprivileged students in our community. “Even though all of us at Vern Tutoring are young and don’t hold any position of power, even though what we’re doing hasn’t changed the world, we’re trying to do our part,” Prisha explains. “And if everyone else does too, together, we can make a real difference in this world.”
For more information, to sign up for classes, or to donate, visit https://www.verntutoringclassr...