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News

Program assists Yates students

by RESHA THOMAS
The Daily Cougar

The Metropolitan Volunteer Program's Achieve Program is helping Yates High School students prepare for college as 20 UH students dedicate one day a week to assist Yates' seniors in standardized testing and applying for college financial aid.

"I heard over the summer that Yates High School, along with other high schools, were determined by (Houston Independent School District) as underperforming for the past three years. The fourth year (of underperforming), they are shut down," Kamran Ahmed, assistant director of MVP, said. "With Yates High School being so close to UH and (Texas Southern University), I found it strange that there was no connection with Yates and the community. I knew we could do something."

The MVP Achieve Program was started this summer.

"We were working with the (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) tutorial program, and that program ran about two weeks, so we decided to continue the program through this year," Ahmed said.

The program runs from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and volunteers from UH are asked to dedicate one day a week and help Yates' students with college preparation and TAKS tutorials.

Teachers and students at Yates High School have given positive feedback about the Achieve program.

Misti Morgan, Yates assistant principal, said the teachers are excited about the one-on-one assistance that is provided by UH students.

Other administrators at Yates agree.

"Students at Yates appreciate college students coming in because they are able to see what they are striving to be," Jene Washington, Yates school improvement facilitator, said.

The students look forward to tutors coming, Washington added. 

"It takes time for you to establish a relationship with the (high school) students, but I have enjoyed working with the students," Dona Suttajit, MVP director, said.

The Achieve Program may branch out to other schools near UH.

"We want to reach out to elementary and middle schools," Ahmed said.

Students interested in becoming a tutor should go to www.uh.edu/MVP.

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