Any college student or graduate knows that the years spent immersed in higher education remain some of the most fulfilling in life. It is a time devoted to exploring humankind’s collective knowledge of the world, maturing as an adult, and choosing one’s unique life path.

However, any high school student knows that getting into college takes a great deal of work. In fact, according to the California Department of Education, 33 percent of children in the state will not finish high school.

Azusa Pacific University’s commitment to helping Southern California schoolchildren develop the skills they need to get into college, through community programs in education and literacy, stands at the core of many university programs. Whether sponsored by APU, or simply staffed by many APU volunteers, each program reaps the same benefits: the students involved read more, receive free tutoring on their homework, and develop a true love of learning.

“Through these programs, APU encourages students to be successful in school,” said Kristin Gurrola, associate director of the Center for Academic Service Learning and Research, which oversees several of these programs, and hires APU students to serve as tutors for each. “It’s been wonderful to see these relationships building and lives changing.”

But the impact does not stop there. APU students who volunteer with these endeavors gain hands-on exposure to service that supports a Christian worldview, while practicing their classroom-learned skills.

“The practical application of knowledge and skill development within a cross-cultural context furthers our faith integration, transformational scholarship, and God-honoring diversity goals,” said Pamela M. Christian, Ph.D., assistant provost. “These mutually beneficial service learning projects in the local community also assist in equipping our students for engagement in international arenas. They demonstrate our commitment to our mission to advance God’s work in
the world.”

“Through these programs, I see students fall in love with and become more captivated by their faith,” said Tim Hooten, former director of the Office of Ministry and Service, another APU arm facilitating service programs. “It is more about themselves – individualistic and less community-oriented – until the students go out and experience how others live. Then they’re truly loving their neighbors.”

APU appreciates such positive outcomes, and continually seeks out avenues that allow for this dynamic interaction between university students and students from the local community. Currently, APU sponsors more than 60 service
programs, many of which encourage and help prepare future college-bound kids. While each offers a unique approach, all work to equip children with the skills necessary to flourish in their communities.

One such program is Advancement Via Individual Determination (or A.V.I.D.). The nationwide effort, founded in 1980, specifically targets the academic middle. While many institutions regularly reward high achievers and provide assistance to low performers, B- or C-level students often remain neglected. Students in the Azusa Unified School District between 7th-12th grades can apply for A.V.I.D., which is supported by APU’s Center for Academic Service Learning and Research through the hiring of college students as tutors. The program serves as an elective class at all three middle schools and both high schools in Azusa, offering academic assistance. Those chosen for the program demonstrate a motivation to succeed, a desire to help themselves, and an interest in higher education.

Two days each week, APU tutors facilitate these sessions. A.V.I.D. students must bring in questions from their homework, and within small groups, work together to find the answers. For example, when a math question rises, the tutor encourages everyone to open their math books and solicits suggestions for which section they should turn to first for the answer. “A.V.I.D. tutors challenge students to be responsible and committed to their education,” said Gurrola. “Students learn how to ask the right questions to get the answers they want.”

While A.V.I.D. provides mainly homework assistance, other programs, like Azusa Reads, target improved literacy. Based on the America Reads Challenge, an initiative unveiled by the Clinton Administration in 1996, Azusa Reads is free and run by the Center for Academic Service Learning and Research for children in first through sixth grades.

Each school year, APU students serve as tutors for 250-300 participants who meet at the Azusa Library for two half-hour reading sessions per week. Using many of the library’s own resources, tutors meet each student at his or her reading ability – whether that be learning the ABCs or delving into book chapters.

Azusa Library Director Albert Tovar has witnessed the impact of this program on the children. “It operates right outside my office, so I see the kids and the APU students doing one-on-one tutoring,” he said. “They bond, and over the period of a semester, students get better grades. Anybody can fill a building with books – it’s the connection between people that has value.”

The system encourages consistency, with many families returning year-to-year and younger siblings enrolling. And it has encouraged new relationships with the library itself. “Families have signed up for library cards because they were in the building with the kids for tutoring – which continues the reading at home,” said Gurrola.

An Azusa Calculates spin-off will debut in January. A program made possible by the success of Azusa Reads, Azusa Calculates seeks to meet the needs of 9th and 10th grade students struggling with math.