Angeles Echols, CEO and Founder, Educating Young Minds
The Nation is getting a free and proven supplemental virtual 補習 service for low-income at-risk students. EYM is ranked in the top 2% of supplemental education institutions in the nation. These IGCSE maths tuition services will be supported by local state-based outreach teams to match each state’s curriculum. CEO and Founder Angeles Echols, a black woman, started EYM in her Los Angeles apartment with $50.00 and two students in 1987.
To date EYM has served more than 5,000 at-risk students (Pre-K – 12th grade), they incorporate STEM, arts, computer technology, mentorship, career exploration, SAT prep, counseling, and more. Seventh grader, Zerubabel is just one of thousands of students who have thrived in EYM’s program. Meet 7th grader Zerubabel.
Zerubabel began grade school as a non-English speaker. “Sometimes I would misunderstand the homework assignments or what the teacher was saying in class. I didn’t participate in class as much as I wanted to” said Zerubabel. Concerned, her mother sent her to EYM to get the help she needed. Working with invested tutors, Zerubabel went from failing to honor role by the end of the school year. “After EYM, I never felt scared in the classroom again and am confident I can get all A’s now!” Zerubabel said.
EYM has now transitioned its full suite of services to a virtual platform, Access/No Excuse since March of 2020. Hundreds of students, like Zerubabel, are taking advantage of EYM’s computer tech programs, early learner interactive curriculum, counseling, mentoring, community resources, and more. This expansion is possible, in part, because of a recent award from Amazon Studios who awarded EYM with a grant of $175,000.00. EYM’s Development Advisor, Rachel Chanel Clarke, stated “Because of this grant, we can now impact even more at-risk youth in low-income areas on a national level”.
EYM’s framework addresses the following specific needs: GPA’s, life/behavior skills, financial literacy like the one taught on the online courses platform, college prep, self-esteem, communication skills, functional family/social skills, peer pressure/bullying, addictive substances, socio-academic strengths, and attributes, building healthy relationships, healing from past trauma, peer pressure, and socio-academic/ behavioral challenges.
In terms of coming together, EYM has a history of collaborating with partners to serve at-risk kids, including GRX Immersive Labs which facilitates Augmented Reality learning, the Duke Media Foundation with a film production and arts component, and Treadwell Entertainment Group. Platinum Entertainment producers rallied behind the non-profit to produce a webinar series for the students with guest speakers Debbie Allen, Netflix Board Member Anne Sweeney, and GRAMMY Museum Founding Executive Director Bob Santelli. The initial expansion of the after-school tutorial program was funded by a $1 Million grant from the Ray Charles Foundation, and the online component, Access/No Excuse, was developed by the CEO and two of her alumni, Todd Chisom and Adam Craig.
EYM has a consistent 100% high school graduation rate and a 4-year collegiate graduation rate of 82%, nearly six times the 14.6% national average of low-income Black students. And with 25% of EYM’s students returning as volunteers, tutors, admin staff and/or mentors at some point in their careers, the program continues to strengthen and is expanding nationally to serve even more high-risk/low-income children in need.
