The Preuss School UCSD Call for Volunteers

Volunteers Shape the Future of Preuss Students

Opportunities Now Available for Tutors and Mentors at The Preuss School UCSD

Students at The Preuss School UCSD are hardworking, self-motivated and perseverant. They have to be to succeed at Preuss, an award-winning unique charter middle and high school for low income, highly motivated students who strive to become the first in their family to graduate from college. However, an important part of their educational and personal success is shaped by role models who inspire them to dream big. These role models are community members, parents, college students and retired professors—mentors and tutors from all areas of interest and expertise, whose commitment has an invaluable impact—and Preuss is currently seeking more.

Lisa Fine, executive director of Diabetes Research Connection in San Diego, has been a mentor for more than three years at Preuss. As a mentor, she listens to and helps her student through challenges and provides insight by sharing her personal experiences.

“I joined the program to help a student, but I think she has helped me just as much,” said Fine. “My mentee is a delightful, inspiring, mature young lady. I’m honored to know her, to be her trusted, non-judgmental sounding board.”

Preuss students are consistently accepted to prestigious four-year universities upon graduation and many of them go on to transform communities and succeed in their respective fields. This is a result of the hard work and dedication instilled in students during their time at Preuss, which features a college-bound mentality and rigorous curriculum designed to satisfy university requirements.

Volunteer mentors and tutors play an integral role by offering their unique perspective and serving as a resource with whom students may seek knowledge and advice. For those interested in being a tutor, there are openings in all areas of learning, from mathematics to art and science. Similarly, participants can become a mentor and build a relationship with their student, providing important assistance and reinforcement to prepare them for college life and beyond.

“You will see that by committing a small amount of your time you can make a pivotal difference to a child who may get little guidance from home,” said Fine. “You will experience a new level of gratitude for the life you have. It’s the best hour that you will spend each week.”

Tutors are asked to commit a minimum of 1.5 hours, twice a week, while mentors meet at least 30 minutes once a week with their student, with opportunities to join quarterly activities. To find out more and sign up, visit the Volunteer Opportunities page on The Preuss School website, http://preuss.ucsd.edu, where you will find out more about the role of volunteers and how to obtain more information.

About The Preuss School UCSD

The Preuss School UCSD has been named the top transformative high school in the nation by Newsweek for two years in a row and has been consistently ranked as one of America’s best high schools by the Washington Post and U.S. News & World Report. USC’s Center on Educational Governance has named The Preuss School the top charter school in California. The U.S. Department of Education named Preuss a National Blue Ribbon School in 2010, one of only five percent of all schools nationally ever to be so honored in 29 years. With 816 students in grades 6-12, The Preuss School has an exemplary Academic Performance Index Score (API) of 899, one of the highest in the county. The school, located on the UC San Diego campus, is jointly chartered by UC San Diego and the San Diego Unified School District.