Determined students at Howard University are partnering with the Raising A Village to close Washington D.C.’s learning gap. Get the full story from the Howard release by Aaliyah Butler below.

Howard University Center of Career and Professional Success has partnered with Raising A Village Foundation for the upcoming school year in a collective effort to increase participation in student mentoring and tutoring.

The Center of Career and Professional Success provides career services through experiential learning and campus employment. As part of this federal work-study partnership, Howard University students will be afforded the opportunity to work with the Raising A Village Foundation’s Driven 2 Succeed program as Driven Student Guides and mentors. This experience gives them direct access to empower young scholars in D.C.’s underserved communities. Raising A Village’s goal for the school year is to ensure more than 1,000 District of Columbia Public Schools students receive quality, high-impact tutoring.

“Distance learning has significantly affected learning resources for so many students from underrepresented communities in the education system,” said Melissa Knight, interim director of the Howard University Center of Career and Professional Success. “We are excited that our federal work-study program will help bring these students back on track with their educational goals.”

This Fall, Raising A Village will facilitate an in-person tutoring model that has expanded to 12 sites across Washington, D.C. Howard University federal work-study students have the opportunity to make an impact by serving as guides and increasing access to academic interventions for D.C. Public School students. 

“As an HBCU alumna, the opportunity to partner with other HBCUs like Howard University brings me joy because we can give students the ability to use their experiences and education to become difference-makers in children and families’ lives every day,” said Raising A Village Founder & CEO Jaleesa Hall

Vielka Vasquez, a sophomore psychology major, said she’s learned that adults can really impact the lives of a child and the importance for uplifting children.