Future of the Business World: Confronting Educational Equity and Student Wellness
This month on Future of the Business World, we travel to Newark, N.J., to speak with Dashawn Sheffield, 17 and a junior at North Star Academy Washington Park High School. Last year, Dashawn (pictured above, left, with two of his high school friends) took second place in the Educational Equity challenge of the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship World Series of Innovation with his business pitch for EduMatch, a mentorship program to help low-income, first-generation students overcome obstacles to college enrollment and navigate the college application process.
In this interview (click on the arrow above to listen to the podcast), Dashawn, who plans to attend college in a few years to study business and psychology, or possibly nursing, talks about implementing his business idea, as well as taking on a separate challenge to improve mental wellness among his peers (a story that may be featured in an HBO documentary).
Wharton Global Youth Program: Hello and Welcome to Future of the Business World! I’m Diana Drake with the Wharton Global Youth Program at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Each month on Future of the Business World, we meet enterprising young entrepreneurs from around the world and discuss their innovative ideas and inspirations. And we learn a lot about business and finance along the way.
I’m excited today to speak with Dashawn Sheffield, a junior at North Star Academy Washington Park High School in Newark, New Jersey.
Dashawn, welcome to Future of the Business World!
Dashawn has discovered his entrepreneurial spirit in the past year and has been letting it run wild, you might say, as he embraces student leadership and helps guide other high school students toward success. We’re going to talk about education equity, mental wellness and more…so, let’s get started.
Tell us about yourself?
Dashawn Sheffield: Good afternoon. My name is Dashawn Sheffield. I’m 17 years old. I live in Newark, N.J. I’m a junior at Northstar Washington Park High School And I’m also an avid tennis, badminton and volleyball player.
Wharton Global Youth: And you’re also an entrepreneur. Last year, you took second place in the Educational Equity Challenge of the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship World Series of Innovation. Your winning idea is an initiative called EduMatch, a mentorship program to help low-income, first-generation students navigate the college application process. Can you tell us what led to that idea? What was the inspiration for it?
Dashawn: I first got the idea when I was 12 and I was living in Georgia at the time. I had an older friend [Samir] who was a senior in high school. He was one of my role models because he had good grades and he was such an over-achiever and one of the top students of his school. I really took note of that. I know I’m going to sound like I’m going on a bit of a tangent, but I want to mention this memory of the two of us. We were sitting on the swings at the park around the corner from our house because we lived close to each other and I could see that he was sad. I turned to him and asked why was he sad and he said he felt like a failure. He had worked so hard throughout school only to not know how to apply to college. I told him it would be alright because I didn’t know what to do. You have to keep in mind that I was also 12 at the time. I had no idea what the college process was like, nevertheless high school. I saw him a couple of years later and he was working at a job that wasn’t really the greatest. When I was writing in my journal back in 2020 when I was brainstorming ideas, that exact memory came to mind.
While that was a main source of inspiration for me, I took into account the disproportionate rates of college enrollment between low-income minority students and the wealthier, typically white, counterparts and I felt as if there weren’t many businesses tailored toward fixing that.
Wharton Global Youth: Can you talk more about the lack of college enrollment from low-income students and also the gap in critical information to help students make informed decisions. These really prompted you to want to do more when you looked into the data, right?
Dashawn: Yes, I was looking at this data from I believe it was Ad Council and it was talking about how low-income schools typically have a very bad student-to-college-counselor ratio. For instance, when I was conducting research myself I asked one of the college counselors at my school about how the data seemed so skewed, unbalanced and disproportionate. She said that when she worked at a public school, she was helping 500 to 600 students. I felt that was bad because you’re not able to give them the type of attention that they need. This is a very critical moment for seniors as they’re going to the next stage in their life and they need that type of guidance. I took that along with the personal connection that I had, and as I said I also have a personal journal where I write down ideas that come to my mind. I’m in a rush to get them out because if I don’t write them down I’m going to end up forgetting. I was writing keynotes and little bullet points. As I was working on EduMatch’s subs, I took that as a reference.
Wharton Global Youth: How does EduMatch work?
Dashawn: EduMatch is an online platform where the high school seniors known as applicants are matched with undergraduate students at different types of universities, known as mentors. The mentors serve as volunteer college counselors throughout the course of the students’ application process. For instance, the mentors work one-on-one with applicants on the website to navigate the college application process on things like where and when to apply to college, how to write a compelling admission statement, how to fill out the FAFSA and so many of the services.
Wharton Global Youth: The competition you won rewards innovative ideas, but you’ve actually moved forward on implementing EduMatch. How has it taken shape and can you give us an example or two of how you’ve provided support and mentoring to other students?
Dashawn: After and even during the course of the competition, even though I wasn’t sure if EduMatch was going to win, I was still determined to implement it myself. I collaborated with some colleagues and some peers of mine to design an online program. I didn’t want to put myself out there on a grand scale because this is a startup, so I wanted to start small. I recruited 25 students from public high school around where I live and 25 students from community college. And this first started around May. Over the summer we experienced great results. The students learned from a curriculum that covered all the facets of learning the college application process. And some have already applied to colleges and they got in. And when I found out I was stoked beyond imagination, that something I came up with was being beneficial and helping these kids who didn’t receive that amount of help in their own school. I take a lot of pride in that. And in terms of providing support and mentoring for other students, I’m a peer tutor at my school. I tutor three or four other students, which I’ve been doing since sophomore year. I co-founded a program in 2019, a student-led initiative that aims to provide leadership training and resources that would allow and inspire students to advocate for issues they’re passionate about. I’m currently in the process of attempting to form a diversity, equity and inclusion committee within my school and another school, as well.
Wharton Global Youth: I want to go back for a minute to EduMatch and the fact that you feel the impact that you’re making on other students. Do you have one example of where you saw a lightbulb moment of another student understanding the college process? What were some of the areas you felt were most useful as you were teaching them about admissions and all the steps that they needed to take.
Dashawn: One of the students I was helping to teach [Veronica] did not know how to write a personal statement. We have them do a rough draft to give an idea of where they’re at and then toward the end of the program, we have them do another draft to mark their improvement. When I first saw her statement with the rough draft, it wasn’t really good. There were a lot of errors and issues and things that needed to be fixed. Towards the fifth meeting I had with her – they work with their mentors and then they have a meeting with me so I can keep track of their progress – I was going over her draft with her and I could just see the improvement and you could feel the radiation of her pride. She was very proud of herself. She should be because she came from a very far place from where she was at first. So, just the feeling that she was proud of herself and felt accomplished and I think I will cherish it for the rest of my life.
Wharton Global Youth: What is the very essence of the impact EduMatch can potentially have? Why do you feel it is a powerful idea in helping to drive racial equity across education?
Dashawn: I feel like it’s a drive toward racial equity in education mainly because I feel like each student should be ensured that whatever they receive is going to help them be successful. In terms of higher education: reexamining the curricula, placing a greater emphasis on active learning, elevating student voices. Things like that must happen. With EduMatch, this would allow them to happen. Mainly it helps low-income students and first-generation students who are typically silenced with the college application process because most of them do not typically know how to go through the process. It helps them get a voice and it opens more doors for them as well, providing more opportunities and allows them to advance more in their lives, which I feel like everyone wants for themselves. Everyone wants to succeed, but some people just don’t have those opportunities. But with those opportunities, it will be a great keystone for them.
Wharton Global Youth: I read somewhere that pandemics historically have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. For you, the pandemic was both a time of personal strife, as well as empowerment. It inspired you toward leadership. Can you talk a bit about the Student Wellness Council at your school? How it started and what it works to achieve?
Dashawn: I’d love to talk about the Wellness Council. It first started last year when I was a sophomore. COVID shut everybody at home doing virtual learning, etc. Being at home was different for me. I went through most of my academic environment learning from people and being with other people. Having the luxury to be able to speak with your teacher face-to-face. It’s very different over Zoom. There’s different obstacles. You have to help take care of your family. You have to work. Internet issues. Around that time, because I was in a new environment and one I was never placed in before and [one that led] to me sequestering myself away from other people, for the first few weeks when it started I wouldn’t eat, I wouldn’t do nothing. My mom put me in counseling, and my counselor could relate because working from home was something new for her, as well. And so I was like, you know what, I don’t want to just sit here and waste away in my room when I have so much energy, negative energy, that I could turn into something positive.
So once again, I had my journal. I was writing in it. I’m thinking, what can I do with something about wellness. I felt a lot of students were going through this right now. After writing it down, I got on Facetime with about six of my friends and said, ‘Look guys, I have a plan and I feel that it will be really beneficial.’ I got my notebook and I read them key components of the council when it was in its initial stages. When I first went to get it implemented in the school, I got shut down by the principal. I thought, there has to be someone to go to that’s higher than him. That’s what I did. I emailed the president of my school’s Network on Common Schools. We had a phone call back in August for about half an hour. She got in touch with my principal. Eventually it got greenlit. There were some delays at first, I believe it was on September 17 I got the email that it was greenlit. I called my friends, the ones I was on Facetime with before, and said, guys, this thing is becoming a reality. We’ve got to get started. And so we did.
The Student Wellness Council is a student-led initiative where me and seven other students get together and come up with different plans revolving around mental wellness, and we implement them. We have a workshop dedicated to mental health. For instance, we just had a workshop a couple weeks ago that detailed how to spot mental illness in students. I feel as if teachers don’t get that type of training unless you’re a guidance counselor. I feel as if all students, staff, personnel, whoever, need to know. They need to know how to spot these things to help students better. I feel as if there’s a stigma around mental health. Why, I don’t know. Students aren’t really trustworthy of the counselors, so they don’t feel as if they have anyone to turn to. I want to let them know that they have other students who empathize and know what they’re going through and can help them.
Wharton Global Youth: What was the initial resistance from your principal. Why did they not want to greenlight the idea sooner?
Dashawn: I’m not sure. If I had to take a guess, it was probably because the plan I had was very detailed. I was putting all my ideas out there. I [said] I would form partnerships with community-based mental health organizations and I’ll do X, Y and Z. Because I was younger than I am now, I wasn’t seen as mature enough to take on such a big responsibility. And so maybe to avoid possibly having me risk failure in a way, maybe that’s why it wasn’t greenlit.
Wharton Global Youth: You seem like you’re very oriented toward problem-solving. Your journal plays an important role. You’ve got to jot down those ideas and return to them later. What have you learned about your peers and about yourself through this time of personal growth and activism? Do you feel like problem-solving is the essence of what you’re trying to do? What have you learned about yourself? And what would you like others to know?
“I wish I could change the stigma around mental health. If there wasn’t such a negative connotation with people seeking out help, then a lot more people would come forward and a lot more people could be helped.”
Dashawn: About my peers, I would say that different people handle different things differently. I’m not sure if that makes sense. A lot of people aren’t going to experience the same things the same way. People have different emotional aggressors and different emotional reactors. That needs to be taken into account. Emotions play a part in everyone’s lives, including mine. Especially last year with virtual learning, there were a lot of negative experiences with my peers. For instance, one of my friends tried to commit suicide because they had ADHD and Bipolar. Having those types of things and being secluded when you’re used to social interaction is not good for anybody or for your mental health. It’s better having that face-to-face interaction.
In terms of myself, I’ve grown more determined and more steadfast in my goals. I’ve learned to not overload myself, mainly because when I first came into high school I felt like I had to be one of those students who was the captain of this team, the captain of that team, debate team, XYZ. I was overloading myself too much and it led to burnout. In a way, that virtual learning last year was a blessing in disguise. It helped me reorganize myself and get a lot more things started like EduMatch and the Wellness Council. I’m also taking on different projects like the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and I’m in the process of having an HBO documentary filmed. So I’m also learning time management.
Wharton Global Youth: Tell me about the HBO Documentary?
Dashawn: Chalkbeat published an article back on June 28. I met with one of the reporters, Miss Carolyn. And one of the producers [from HBO], Amy Schatz, reached out to me the day after the article was published. We talked over the summer and we started filming in the middle of October. It’s going to take a whole year, and I’m just busy.
Wharton Global Youth: Is it related to the pandemic? What is the theme of the documentary?
Dashawn: It’s related to the Wellness Council. She saw that I had a whole wellness system going on and that drew her in. That’s one of the main things we talked about over the summer. I would say the pandemic plays a part in it too, but overall, I would say the Wellness Council.
Wharton Global Youth: I want to stick on the Wellness Council for one more minute. First of all, I want to say that I’m so sorry about your friend who tried to commit suicide and all the struggles you’ve seen among your peers. Is the Wellness Council making a difference? Do you feel as though you’re making strides within your school community and within your own community to improve the health and wellness of other students? And what would you like to say to students out there who might be struggling?
Dashawn: I would say that we are making an impact not only in school, but in our community. I’ve definitely noticed. A lot of students have come up to me and told me how much me and my other seven team members who work [on the Wellness Council] have helped them. We helped implement the peer tutoring system, because before last year it wasn’t really a thing. We got a meeting with the principal and told him that peer tutoring is going to help students, help their mental health, help them be motivated and this is something they need. Which it did. It helped them a lot. A lot of people have said the peer tutoring helped them. I would definitely say to students out there that someone’s door is always open. Don’t feel as if you’re alone or as if you have no one to talk to. You’re always going to have someone to talk to.
Wharton Global Youth: One question I like to ask all our guests on Future of the Business World is: If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
Dashawn: I wish I could change the stigma around mental health. If there wasn’t such a negative connotation with people seeking out help, then a lot more people would come forward and a lot more people could be helped. That would avoid a lot of grief, a lot of tumultuous relationships and a lot of negative things.
Wharton Global Youth: Now for our lightning round. Try to answer these questions as quickly as you can:
What is your favorite United Nations Sustainable Development Goal, and why?
Dashawn: My favorite goal is educational equity, what we talked about before, the disproportionate rates. Those aren’t really addressed by the government. And it’s up to students. Gen Z, I believe we’re called? It’s definitely up to us. I’ve noticed that there’s a lot more activism within us and we need to push toward these goals. I would definitely say educational equity.
Wharton Global Youth: The soundtrack that inspires your life?
Dashawn: Mariah Carey. I will continuously say this, no matter what. She’s saved me through her music. She’s been through a lot of things herself: her breakdown in 2001, her family using her for money and things like that. She’s been sabotaged a lot of times. I feel because she writes her own songs I can personally connect to it knowing that she went through the same thing.
Wharton Global Youth: In a word or two, what does entrepreneurship mean to you?
Dashawn: It means ownership, self-ownership.
Wharton Global Youth: Finish this sentence…Greater educational equity will create a world that…
Dashawn: has a lot of innovative people.
Wharton Global Youth: Something about you that would surprise us?
Dashawn: I dance to Britney Spears. Maybe that won’t surprise you guys, though.
Wharton Global Youth: You are the host of a new business talk show. Who do you invite as your first guest?
Dashawn: Business? Hmm. I would probably invite Tyler Perry because he has a lot of businesses besides his film studio. I believe he also has a fashion line, I’m not sure. But I know he’d have a lot to offer in terms of gleaning and acquiring entrepreneurial spirit and energy, and information as well.
Wharton Global Youth: Dashawn, thank you for joining us on Future of the Business World.
Dashawn: I’m so grateful that you allowed me to speak to everybody. Thank you.
Conversation Starters
Why do you think the pandemic was a time of entrepreneurial energy for Dashawn Sheffield in which he grew more “determined and steadfast” in his goals? Did you have a similar experience? How so?
EduMatch seeks to create more racial equity across education. Dashawn says, “Everyone wants to succeed, but some people just don’t have those opportunities.” What have you observed that can contribute to this conversation and the viability of his idea? Share your thoughts in the comment section of this article.
Would you benefit from an initiative like the Wellness Council? How, specifically, could a student-led group like this make the greatest impact?
Dashawn’s Student Wellness Council was so successful that it inspired the creation of an HBO documentary. His student-led initiative to combat mental health struggles in high schools seems like something that many high schools could have benefited from before and especially during the pandemic.
At the height of online school, my mental health was at an all-time low. Partially because I tried to denounce my struggles and because I didn’t know how to overcome them, I faced constant panic attacks and suffered from anxiety. I felt hopeless being confined within the four walls of my bedroom. To make matters worse, my confinement left me feeling isolated and lonely. It was especially hard for me because I was just about to start high school, and the transition was exceptionally hard online. I felt even more alone because I wasn’t able to make new high school friends, and I grew apart from my old friends. Selfishly, I wanted in-person learning to start again because then I would be able to socialize with my peers and make those connections that seemed impossible online.
I know a lot of high schoolers were also in a similar position to me, where they felt alone and had nobody to turn to. As Dashawn discussed, students don’t feel comfortable or safe confronting their mental health issues with teachers or guidance counselors. Personally, at school I want to present myself as intelligent and composed to manufacture a positive image of myself for teachers, who can intentionally or unintentionally hold biases against their students. It feels uncomfortable revealing my struggles with teachers that appear almost as strangers to me. Teachers can also have difficulty identifying if their students are suffering, especially during online school where you can’t connect your students unless both parties make the extra effort to do so. From my perspective, Deshawn’s idea to have students help other students seems like an ingenious way for us to confront our mental health. I know I definitely would’ve preferred to talk with a peer who understands my struggles, as opposed to an adult who doesn’t.
I want to extend Dashawn’s point about the stigma of mental health in students to children. Just as students fear confronting their mental health problems with teachers, children also fear that confrontation with their parents. These two ideas are also interconnected, as oftentimes talking to a teacher doesn’t feel anonymous since students are fearful that their parents may be informed. Personally, as a child of very strict Asian parents, mental health was something that was never talked about. Speaking about mental health and emotions is something almost taboo in my family. This made the pandemic especially hard on me because I had nobody to talk to or get help from. I know I would’ve greatly benefited from the program Deshawn implemented and I wish I had reached out to somebody during that time.
Needless to say, I believe that the Student Wellness Council will still be incredibly useful even after the effects of the pandemic have subsided. It’s not just about loneliness, but also about conformity, imposter syndrome, and family difficulties. Generally in high school, students become more self conscious about their appearance. This leads to conformity and for some students that can mean being singled out for being different. Students can also be stressed out about their intellect and college applications, feeling like they haven’t reached the standard they or their parents set for them. Beyond just the Student Wellness Council, it is still important for students to have at least one close friend who they can depend on. As friends, you can rely on each other through physical and mental hardships. This school year I was able to make new friends who were there to be my safety net, making sure to pull me back up if I ever were to fall. Ultimately, putting the spotlight on mental health issues can help spread awareness and build support for struggling high school teenagers.
I live in NYC, a city home to over 8 million residents, and attend one of the largest high schools in the country, so the idea of loneliness has always been very tricky to grasp – until last year. The sudden switch to a completely remote world brought on initial shock – I didn’t know how to cope with being confined to the four walls of my bedroom. As Dashawn mentioned, COVID placed us in an unfamiliar environment, and with that, came its own obstacles. Especially attending a high school where there is a highly competitive academic culture, I already felt burnt out, stressed, and had imposter syndrome. The pandemic exacerbated all of these effects. I experienced anxiety, depressive symptoms, and an all-time low in self-esteem.
At school, “SEL Days” or Social Emotional Learning Days were hosted to address students’ mental health. Classes were replaced with social activities hosted by teachers to help students de-stress. While SEL comes with good intentions, its implementation is its downfall. Teachers aren’t therapists or certified in adequately dealing with students’ mental health. No amount of breathing exercises, ice breakers, or Zoom games will be the proper substitute for the individualized attention and therapy that many students need. SEL could be effective in the cases that schools give it the proper attention and actual professionals to aid students. However, the way SEL was being conducted, had a reverse, damaging effect. In labeling these simple activities as therapeutic, the school discredited students who needed actual help but didn’t have the proper guidance or resources to ask for it. It felt like my school was downplaying my mental health and expected a 30-minute Zoom call on meditation to solve everything before they could carry on with business as usual.
Students need a safe space to talk about mental health, a place where they won’t fear retribution from either school or familial authority. This draws back to Dashawn’s point of the negative connotation and stigma people have around mental health because oftentimes, mental health is not taken seriously by those in authority – which leads those who are suffering from mental health-related issues to not seek help. This is exactly why the focus should shift away from SEL activities and more on educating teachers and students on mental health. Especially since many schools don’t have the resources to hire mental health professionals, basic training on warning signs in students’ behaviors could allow students to get the help needed before their mental health state escalates to worse.
I was fortunate enough to have a teacher who I trusted enough to share my mental health issues. “Speak with a trusted adult” was never something applicable to me prior to this teacher, but she always made her classroom a welcoming environment and provided mental health-related resources for her students in our Google Classroom. Having an authority figure such as a teacher give care and attention to my mental health made me feel validated and, for the first time, heard. Her office hours turned from asking questions about that day’s classwork into hour-long conversations about my pent-up stress and anxiety.
Initiatives such as the Student Wellness Council are a great step in the direction of mental health care in schools, but energy should also be directed to training teachers to be an additional mental health resource for students. As we transitioned from remote to in-person learning, although I no longer was her student, I continued to visit my teacher regularly throughout the school year. At times when I felt my mental health tank, especially when COVID cases began to spike earlier this year, my teacher was like a blanket of security and stability to help me get back on my feet. The pandemic has completely changed the way we live, work, and communicate. Amidst everything, the silver lining is that the pandemic accelerated long-time efforts to destigmatize and raise awareness regarding mental health – it fundamentally changed the way we think and have these conversations.
This is really a person who is attentive, practical and persistent and gives me inspiration, too.
I am touched that more and more teenagers are paying attention to the issue of educational equity.
I really appreciate with Dashawn’s statement that “Greater educational equity will create a world that has a lot of innovative people”. There are educational inequities between races and between regions. Personally, the reason why education is respected and enjoyed by the whole society is not because of its function and value in the aspects of youth training and knowledge dissemination and production, but because of its function and value in the aspects of inheritance equity. I just finished the course of Race, Inequality, and Urban Education and Housing Policy, which helped me to have a deeper understanding of the educational inequality between different races. Racism and inappropriate housing policies lead to “perceived injustice”—measures Young People’s attitudes about social and structural disadvantage—which may include their awareness of differential opportunities to achieve economic or educational success. Dashawn, however, helped black students receive higher education. It was not only helpful for their own development, but also created more possibilities for the society.
As an advocate of educational equity, there may not be a racial issue in our country, but there is a great imbalance of development between regions. I receive an open and inclusive international education and enjoy the best hardware facilities. It was not until I went to another city as a volunteer teacher that I realized that there were also schools with only two teachers, dormitories without air conditioning and only one simple dish provided for each meal in the canteen. So from then on I often participate in volunteer teaching. But I have found that this is not a long-term solution. How much change can I make on my own? I hope more and more people will pay attention to this matter, based on morality and social development. After reading this article, I was inspired — I plan to build a website with several friends who are also interested in this area, because it can be seen by more people. Different from other websites, we want to build one-to-one support through this website, both financially and academically. Anyone with the same desire to help others or the same desire for educational equity can sign up to the site to help as much as they can, and the local school will provide feedback on children’s performance and growth at regular intervals — a visual platform
At last, I want to say that I am so glad to see a stranger from the other side of the ocean who shares my desire of educational equity.
My grandmother was known as the most extraordinary storyteller in our neighborhood. Every weekend, I would visit her humble yet welcoming abode, and she would tell me tales of how she overcame different problems that she had faced throughout her life. One of the stories that she repetitively talked about was her memories of working as a teacher in a local elementary school in Chuncheon (a small town in Korea) during the Japanese Occupation. I still remember holding her shaking hands as she told me how she and her colleagues could have been slaughtered by Japanese soldiers when they protested relentlessly against the Japanese government’s oppression of Korean women and youth from receiving a fair education. From a young age, she served as a powerful role model, inspiring me to continue her work of building a better world through empowering the youth and advancing equitable outcomes to close enduring social gaps.
When I first read Deshawn’s idea of “Edumatch,” I was so excited to meet a fellow entrepreneur who has a similar dream of closing the current wealth disparity by supporting young generations of low-income families to receive fair education. Specifically, I learned that in the United States, there is a lack of enrollment of low-income students in universities, due to the existing form of educational system that neglects disadvantaged people in our society to be left behind.
Learning this reminded me of my own experience when I moved back to Korea, after spending most of my childhood in San Francisco because of my dad’s business. Being eager to go back to my home country, I was excited to make new friends in a new learning environment. However, it did not take that long for me to realize that in most schools in Korea, including my school, Korea International School, there is an implicit custom where students are expected to receive additional ‘help’ from outside school education organizations called “hagwon.” So on tests, teachers would often give problems that topics they have not even taught, and because of this expectation, those who do not have the money to go to hagwons, would fail to academically perform well in school. Needless to say, hagwons are very costly, and therefore create a barrier for those low-income students which ends up reflecting negatively on their performances in school as well.
Not knowing that this custom exists, I failed most of the classes that I took in the first semester. My academic performance in the U.S school contrasted with that of the Korean school, which forced me to attend hagwons to catch up to the other students. Even more, as competition is deeply ingrained in the educational culture of South Korea, the surrounding environment, such as the teachers, creates an atmosphere that leads young students to think that they would not be able to succeed in the future if their academic performance is poor. The most heartbreaking moment was when I realized that my friends who were not financially affluent enough to be enrolled in hagwons were often overlooked by teachers and fellow students, as they were thought of as the ‘losers’. To me, it makes no sense that some students are destined to think of themselves as a ‘failure,’ just because their family cannot afford to enroll for outside school educational organization.
From my personal experience and Deshwan’s story, I realize that this wealth disparity caused by the systematic inequality existing in our current learning environment is a global phenomenon. Even in Korea, the immediate college enrollment percentage of higher income families is shown to be 83 percentile while normal income families show 67 percent, according to the research from the Korean government.
To put an end to this problem, I have sought for other solutions and came up with a solution of mine by participating in a school club called, National Honor Society. The purpose of the organization was to promote educational support within the school community by connecting students to tutor other students who need academic help with different subjects. For example, I remember helping out Danny, a rising junior in our school in his AP economics class. Like me, He also dreams of becoming a successful entrepreneur, so I help him prepare for his AP economics class, by teaching him the basics of micro and macroeconomics. Later, he told me that he was able to receive an A in the class and 5 as his AP test score. Learning how effective the support system in between students could be in promoting both academic success and their dreams, this semester, I established a non-profit club called the Integration Through Education (ITE). The purpose of this organization is to spread international awareness on wealth disparity created by educational inequality and help high school students who seek to receive academic support in achieving their dream.
To this end, I believe that Deswhan’s platform creates such convenient yet useful opportunities for high school seniors with mentorship. Like Deswhan, I now look to harness new lessons that I would gain from running ITE, that aims to provide a chance to fix the crucially disproportionate rates of college enrollment and close up the educational disparity by providing anyone in need of academic support. As a future entrepreneur who feels the necessity to fix this certain issue, I am eager to take on greater responsibility in empowering the bright-minded young people to promote a secure future for their families, and ultimately, for generations to come.
As someone who has experienced various forms of education and witnessed the harm of education inequity, I have come to the conclusion that this inequity is largely invisible. Victims of this phenomenon are often fighting a lonely battle for the education they deserve. Dashawn’s start-up, EduMatch, specifically helps low-income, first-generation high school students with university applications by pairing them with undergraduate students who can guide them through this process. This organization will surely make a difference in students’ lives, but I’d recommend taking it a step further. When EduMatch, or any initiative aiming to solve issues of education inequity, are still setting up marketing strategies, they should consider expanding their services to include a desperate demographic: the forgotten students.
These students likely will never meet a guidance counsellor to talk about their college applications or see a poster in a school hallway announcing application deadlines or standardized test opportunities. They learn in remote areas or online from home, whether because their health is compromised or their location is restrictive. The pandemic has exacerbated this situation. According to the United Nations, among the 147 million children who missed over half of in-person instruction in 2020-2021, 24 million learners, from pre-primary to university level, may never return to school. These isolated students may not even be aware of their disadvantages, and actively reaching out to these underprivileged students is critical. Remote learners and virtual learners can be as lost and resource-deprived as the low-income, first-generation students applying for university who Dashawn plans to reach.
Like Dashawn, I once was inspired to reach out to under-resourced students, and what I have learned from that experience could be helpful to him. When my family moved from China to Canada, our first home was in rural Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and two years later we moved to Toronto, one of the largest metropolitan areas in Canada. I was startled by the difference in resources at my new school, and I realized how much my former school lacked. My English classes, in particular, exposed me to writing styles and literature I’d never encountered, and I was inspired to reach out to my old school to bridge the education gap I was seeing. In March of 2021, I created a student reading club to instill a habit of reading and improve their critical thinking in preparation for high school essay writing.
I wanted to specifically reach immigrant students, so I contacted a local English organization in Saskatoon that offers after-school academic enrichment. They promoted the club on their parent group chat and directly contacted some students about it. Soon, I had enough interest to hold bi-weekly meetings on literature, including fiction, plays, graphic novels, short stories, and memoirs. As our group became more established, club members began volunteering to host meetings and lead discussions to showcase their understanding of literature and share texts they enjoy. The growth in their understanding of literary analysis has been phenomenal, which shows that when resources and guidance are available, those who truly need this help often respond positively.
I think that Dashawn’s initiative could also benefit from partnering with an institution that has identified an under-resourced group of students. He’s tested his idea on students from a local high school, but as he builds his program and targets first-generation students, he should look outside the school building as well, where many students are forgotten. With the help of organizations that already have an understanding of their students and know their academic interests and potentials, EduMatch can better focus its services and identify students who truly need help. Inversely, services offered by start-ups like EduMatch are also particularly helpful to these middle organizations because the addition of college application support would provide a more comprehensive aid to their students in addition to the pure academic help most of these types of institutions provide. By identifying and connecting these underprivileged students through a common organization, one creates a win-win situation: It helps start-ups increase impact and help institutions better their service. Most importantly, it facilitates quality education and bridges the gap in education equity for students in need.
Dashawn states that EduMatch would give first-generation students “a voice” and would “[open] more doors for them as well, providing more opportunities and [allowing] them to advance more in their lives.” A local organization that could connect Dashawn’s vision with forgotten students would make what he is already doing even more significant.
(I was not able to space my paragraphs properly and had to submit my comment once more)
A Fair Shake
Dashawn Sheffield’s EduMatch is admirable in its goal of helping underprivileged students successfully navigate their way through the college application process. However, Sheffield’s project addresses the culmination of students’ efforts at the twilight of their high school careers. Doing so does not set up students to reach their maximum potential since the college application is a presentation of the person a student has become–after years and years of hard work. Because the college application is only the product of students’ efforts in high school, receiving help and guidance at an earlier age is an essential foundation for college success.
In my own experience tutoring under-privileged students for two years in reading and math, I have come to learn how rewarding it feels to see students improve with each lesson. My first impression of Edward was that of an immature and easily distracted fifth grader, but with a little guidance and helpful lessons, Edward turned into a student eager to learn and quick at understanding novel concepts. This was my first time tutoring and I found it meaningful seeing someone I taught improve in both comprehension and application of the material. During these lessons, I did not do anything special but simply gave Edwards tips to most efficiently understand the concepts and study habits that I believed would help him improve as a student. For instance when I was checking Edward’s math homework, I noticed that he had turned it in an hour before class had started and seemed to have been rushed, full of simple mistakes. Seeing this, I reminded Edward to take his time with his work as it would help him to better understand the concepts and would therefore help with his studies. The following week, Edward would improve his time management and went on to produce his best work.
I was not aware of this at first but as I continued to teach Edward, I saw that he had become quite proficient in his math classes and that my lessons were helping him. In some ways, I think that us going ahead in lessons (compared to his class) and my giving of the most essential information for each concept helped him to become a more knowledgeable student.
Overall from my experiences teaching Edward, I found out that with just a little push, students like Edward could flourish and thrive as a student.
Despite not knowing too much about Edward, I realized that the source of inequality between privileged and underprivileged children was the amount of resources they were given. That realization was especially evident in Edward’s improvement in his work ethic and understanding of my lessons. Within two years of learning together, I saw that Edward had transformed into a better student than I had seen when I first met him.
Similar to Sheffield’s experience with helping Veronica, I realized that with more encouragement and guidance, students such as Edward could flourish into better students and efficient learners. Since then, I have come to believe that providing such assistance is vital in unleashing students’ potential.
As I began to research about the college application process as a rising junior, I learned an unsavory truth about it. The disparity between underprivileged and privileged students when it came to college success was most obvious in the kinds of resources they have access to: tutoring services, private consultations, or even extracurricular activities.
Looking back on my time tutoring Edward, I realized that the resources students are given have a significant influence on not only their success in school, but also the potential success of their college applications.
And if underprivileged students are not given the same resources as their privileged counterparts, they are destined to be stuck in a cycle of stunted potential.
To address such an injustice, Sheffield created EduMatch, a service in which mentors (college students) guide underprivileged students through the college application process. Sheffield’s EduMatch started a much needed initiative to close the gap between students in the college application process, but in order to make EduMatch more effective, it needs to streamline its approach to be more holistic in its assistance of underprivileged students. I would recommend the incorporation of further consulting services, tutors, and career-counseling courses by retired professionals to truly unlock the potentials of these students.
The improvement to Edumatch’s consulting services would come through the employment of former college admission officers in addition to the student mentors. These admissions officers bring their own expertise into what colleges look for and would help students develop qualities colleges look for, such as leadership projects, summer camps, and even internships. Former admission officers can then, along with mentors, teach and help to manage students’ progress in building their curriculum vitae, providing a valuable combination of personal and professional experiences.
With the addition of former admission officers helping students outside of academics, adding tutoring services to EduMatch will improve students’ academic prowess. Although not all students require their assistance, tutors can provide support and guidance to students when they are in need. Oftentimes teachers are not always able to answer all of students’ questions or help improve students’ grasp of the curriculum due to the number of students teachers must teach. These tutors can offer the much-needed support. With tutors behind their backs, students will have more assurance and confidence as they work through high school.
But as students look to attend college, one of the most fundamental parts of their decision making process will be their future career path. In order to be prepared for their future occupations, from archaeologists to financial advisers, it is essential for students to experience first hand and learn about the majors concerning those jobs. Retired and current professionals are just the people to teach students how to become successful in their respective fields. With professional knowledge at hand, students can then apply their own ambitions for their majors.
On top of these three services and mentors, there should be a managing board, made up of college students who are assigned to each school, to help manage and even empathize with students’ concerns as well as their needs. This board will help to not only find new ways to assist students, but they will also find the best way to accommodate all students with funds provided to the school. As well as this managing board, there should be an evaluative board that makes sure each school’s application of EduMatch and its improvements are effective.
Providing more attention and care to under-privileged students would require addressing the cost of all of these services and the funds needed to help students attend summer camps and other extracurriculars. In order to cover such costs, we should reassign some of the US’s enormous military spendings. According to the website of the Peter G. Petersen Foundation, the U.S’s military spendings in 2021 was more than that of countries such as China, Russia, and the United Kingdom combined. Considering how much more the U.S spends on its military, it is an appropriate time to lower such spendings and to focus on nurturing the next generation of Americans who will lead this country. Ultimately, redirecting military spendings to educational endeavors would help EduMatch expand nationwide.
These improvements to EduMatch to make the college application process fair may seem impossible and tiring, but in truth, additions like Sheffield’s and mine help to promote equality among students. Supplying underprivileged students with the same resources as their privileged counterparts would help make the college application process more fair. Without the disparity in opportunities and resources provided by financial inequalities, students will be able to be evaluated for who they truly are, removed from the inequalities the lack of resources create. And if the students take full advantage and work to the best of their abilities, there will no longer be the regrets of financial troubles or lack of attention. Through improvements like these and innovative students like Sheffield, we can hope to see a more equal and true world where all students are able to reach their true potential.
Sources:
The Peter G. Petersen Foundation Website (https://www.pgpf.org/chart-archive/0053_defense-comparison)
A Fair Shake
Dashawn Sheffield’s EduMatch is admirable in its goal of helping underprivileged students successfully navigate their way through the college application process. However, Sheffield’s project addresses the culmination of students’ efforts at the twilight of their high school careers. Doing so does not set up students to reach their maximum potential since the college application is a presentation of the person a student has become–after years and years of hard work. Because the college application is only the product of students’ efforts in high school, receiving help and guidance at an earlier age is an essential foundation for college success.
In my own experience tutoring under-privileged students for two years in reading and math, I have come to learn how rewarding it feels to see students improve with each lesson. My first impression of Edward was that of an immature and easily distracted fifth grader, but with a little guidance and helpful lessons, Edward turned into a student eager to learn and quick at understanding novel concepts. This was my first time tutoring and I found it meaningful seeing someone I taught improve in both comprehension and application of the material. During these lessons, I did not do anything special but simply gave Edwards tips to most efficiently understand the concepts and study habits that I believed would help him improve as a student. For instance when I was checking Edward’s math homework, I noticed that he had turned it in an hour before class had started and seemed to have been rushed, full of simple mistakes. Seeing this, I reminded Edward to take his time with his work as it would help him to better understand the concepts and would therefore help with his studies. The following week, Edward would improve his time management and went on to produce his best work.
I was not aware of this at first but as I continued to teach Edward, I saw that he had become quite proficient in his math classes and that my lessons were helping him. In some ways, I think that us going ahead in lessons (compared to his class) and my giving of the most essential information for each concept helped him to become a more knowledgeable student.
Overall from my experiences teaching Edward, I found out that with just a little push, students like Edward could flourish and thrive as a student.
Despite not knowing too much about Edward, I realized that the source of inequality between privileged and underprivileged children was the amount of resources they were given. That realization was especially evident in Edward’s improvement in his work ethic and understanding of my lessons. Within two years of learning together, I saw that Edward had transformed into a better student than I had seen when I first met him.
Similar to Sheffield’s experience with helping Veronica, I realized that with more encouragement and guidance, students such as Edward could flourish into better students and efficient learners. Since then, I have come to believe that providing such assistance is vital in unleashing students’ potential.
As I began to research about the college application process as a rising junior, I learned an unsavory truth about it. The disparity between underprivileged and privileged students when it came to college success was most obvious in the kinds of resources they have access to: tutoring services, private consultations, or even extracurricular activities.
Looking back on my time tutoring Edward, I realized that the resources students are given have a significant influence on not only their success in school, but also the potential success of their college applications.
And if underprivileged students are not given the same resources as their privileged counterparts, they are destined to be stuck in a cycle of stunted potential.
To address such an injustice, Sheffield created EduMatch, a service in which mentors (college students) guide underprivileged students through the college application process. Sheffield’s EduMatch started a much needed initiative to close the gap between students in the college application process, but in order to make EduMatch more effective, it needs to streamline its approach to be more holistic in its assistance of underprivileged students. I would recommend the incorporation of further consulting services, tutors, and career-counseling courses by retired professionals to truly unlock the potentials of these students.
The improvement to EduMatch’s consulting services would come through the employment of former college admission officers in addition to the student mentors. These admissions officers bring their own expertise into what colleges look for and would help students develop qualities colleges look for, such as leadership projects, summer camps, and even internships. Former admission officers can then, along with mentors, teach and help to manage students’ progress in building their curriculum vitae, providing a valuable combination of personal and professional experiences.
With the addition of former admission officers helping students outside of academics, adding tutoring services to EduMatch will improve students’ academic prowess. Although not all students require their assistance, tutors can provide support and guidance to students when they are in need. Oftentimes teachers are not always able to answer all of students’ questions or help improve students’ grasp of the curriculum due to the number of students teachers must teach. These tutors can offer the much-needed support. With tutors behind their backs, students will have more assurance and confidence as they work through high school.
But as students look to attend college, one of the most fundamental parts of their decision making process will be their future career path. In order to be prepared for their future occupations, from archaeologists to financial advisers, it is essential for students to experience first hand and learn about the majors concerning those jobs. Retired and current professionals are just the people to teach students how to become successful in their respective fields. With professional knowledge at hand, students can then apply their own ambitions for their majors.
On top of these three services and mentors, there should be a managing board, made up of college students who are assigned to each school, to help manage and even empathize with students’ concerns as well as their needs. This board will help to not only find new ways to assist students, but they will also find the best way to accommodate all students with funds provided to the school. As well as this managing board, there should be an evaluative board that makes sure each school’s application of EduMatch and its improvements are effective.
Providing more attention and care to under-privileged students would require addressing the cost of all of these services and the funds needed to help students attend summer camps and other extracurriculars. In order to cover such costs, we should reassign some of the US’s enormous military spendings. According to the website of the Peter G. Petersen Foundation, the U.S’s military spendings in 2021 was more than that of countries such as China, Russia, and the United Kingdom combined. Considering how much more the U.S spends on its military, it is an appropriate time to lower such spendings and to focus on nurturing the next generation of Americans who will lead this country. Ultimately, redirecting military spendings to educational endeavors would help EduMatch expand nationwide.
These improvements to EduMatch to make the college application process fair may seem impossible and tiring, but in truth, additions like Sheffield’s and mine help to promote equality among students. Supplying underprivileged students with the same resources as their privileged counterparts would help make the college application process more fair. Without the disparity in opportunities and resources provided by financial inequalities, students will be able to be evaluated for who they truly are, removed from the inequalities the lack of resources create. And if the students take full advantage and work to the best of their abilities, there will no longer be the regrets of financial troubles or lack of attention. Through improvements like these and innovative students like Sheffield, we can hope to see a more equal and true world where all students are able to reach their true potential.
Sources:
The Peter G. Petersen Foundation Website (https://www.pgpf.org/chart-archive/0053_defense-comparison)
Low-income households often lack the experience and resources to help their children apply to colleges. Dashawn has created a simple yet effective solution to this under-addressed issue with EduMatch. As someone with tremendous interest in both education and social inequality issues, I am thoroughly impressed to see someone not much older than me utilizing his personal experience and expertise to display his entrepreneurial spirit and make our world a better place. Many thanks to Wharton for this motivating podcast!
In order to further the simple yet powerful service and noble cause of EduMatch, I have come up with a few additional functions that would greatly benefit EduMatch and its users.
As any college students and admissions officers would know, college admission process begins much earlier than the moment an applicant starts to fill out his or her application form. Without sufficient SAT or ACT scores, school grades and extracurricular activities, a well-written application does not have much power.
Unfortunately, low-income students lacking appropriate knowledge and support to complete a college application are unlikely to have resources to improve their performance in the aforementioned areas. EduMatch should extend its service to offer free SAT/ACT tutoring sessions and coaching sessions for different extracurricular activities.
With the help of volunteers, EduMatch can create real changes and inspire students from every block to dream bigger. In order to thank and celebrate good-willed volunteers, EduMatch should give out digital badges that can be displayed on social media accounts. This will also help spread the good message and encourage others to participate.
EduMatch is an inspiring and motivating service in that it not only provides practical help and support for low-income students but also creates a healthy community in which different students learn about various opportunities and have bigger, brighter dreams for their future.