The Story Behind the Creation of Teach 2 Learn, a Student-Led Non-Profit

On October 17th, Student Unit got the opportunity to interview two of the founders and current presidents, Alex Deng and Ashton Mehta, of Teach 2 Learn, a student-led nonprofit dedicated to inspiring students to find their passions at a young age. This organization's founding occurred in their sophomore year in high school, where Alex Deng, Ashton Mehta, Arma Sharma, and Michael Gerhard collectively came up with the idea. The team was aware of the needs of some students who to lacked direction and passion. Stemming from his own lack of guidance and resources to pursue his passions, Alex knew he wanted to get involved with this organization. Ashton had a similar experience as he noticed while he ultimately found his passion for computer science; he hoped other students could find this passion earlier. Initially, this idea of working with students throughout the district seemed daunting, but "you have to stop being scared to start…you have to start somewhere." The team stuck to their mission of inspiring as many students as possible and opted for a free learning experience.

They contacted nearby junior high schools in the district through email outreach to set up their first few workshops. The high school students would dedicate time after school to go to a local junior high school and teach a topic to the junior high students. They curated their teaching workshops based upon their own skill sets and needs within the community. They began with computer science, a passion both the students and mentors seemed to have. As a team of successful science fair competitors, they soon began science fair workshops to help students develop winning science fair projects. Over time, they expanded to science fair, computer science, speech and debate, entrepreneurship, and math UIL workshops. This expansion also extended to a larger pool of schools with workshops in York, Knox, and McCullough.

Over the summer, they held multiple virtual workshops that extend into the current 2020-2021 school year. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, they moved to a virtual platform using Discord to host their meetings and provide resources. This online transition would not have been complete without the introduction of new members to the team. The ambassadors and officers for each workshop lead the workshop, curate a curriculum, and teach the course to the growing number of students. For each workshop, there are also a collection of mentors who assist in teaching. Teach to Learn not only hopes to help students but also provide mentors with the experience of leading and teaching a group of students. Not only allowing for a greater depth in understanding but also allowing mentors to exercise soft skills.

As Teach 2 Learn continues to grow, they hope to expand beyond the CISD school district and other states. If students would like to start their own Teach 2 Learn chapter in their area or if you have any suggestions on new workshops, you can contact Teach 2 Learn for resources on their website and Instagram (attached below).

Ashton and Alex thoroughly enjoy connecting with the students through Teach 2 Learn and seeing their progress in real-world situations. Ashton recalled that within the Science Fair Grand Award Judging Room, nearly all the Junior High Students were Teach 2 Learn science fair students. Both founders are also fond of the personal relationship they built that allowed them to develop friendships with the students they taught. They have both seen the growth in passion in many students and are excited to develop Teach 2 Learn further.

Teach 2 Learn’s Website: weteach2learn.com

Teach 2 Learn’s Instagram: @teach2learn