Mission Statement

Written by

Elaine Liu

Why Bridge the Gap? 🌍💗

According to the United Nations Education Report, 17% of the world’s youth are out of school, equating to 258 million adolescents (UN, 2020). Even for youth that have the privilege of attending school, there is a lack of educational resources and an apparent gap of educational inequality that hinders their adulthood, whether it be looking for jobs or performing basic tasks. In fact, even with the rise in literacy rates over the last 50 years, there are still over 754 million illiterate adults around the world, stemming from these childhood educational inequalities.

The civic issue Uplift Scholars seeks to address is educational inequality due to the lack of access to necessary funding for materials, school supplies, programs, and other imperative components of a child’s education.

Though educational inequality primarily affects children, it has long lasting consequences that hinder people from certain careers they had wanted to pursue. In fact, illiteracy and low-level education are leading causes for unemployment today, with adults with less education than a high school diploma having the highest unemployment rate and lowest median weekly earnings.

Therefore, addressing these educational inequalities early on in childrens’ lives can make a significant difference in the future they have and the opportunities they obtain. 

Forming Uplift Scholars 📚

To combat the educational inequality worldwide, Uplift Scholars was founded as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides tutoring services and hosts community events, directing all proceeds toward underfunded schools and students. Our mission is to supply essential educational resources and improve literacy rates, to “bridge the gap” in educational inequality.

Our core initiative is providing paid tutoring services, through which we’ve supported over fifty students to date. What sets our efforts apart is our commitment to inclusivity—we proudly serve all learners, including English language learners, recent immigrants, and children with disabilities such as ADHD, speech disorders, and dyslexia.

As I (Elaine Liu) started collaborating with like-minded peers, our team began hosting more fundraisers, storytelling events, school supplies drives, and more—engaging hundreds of our community members with our mission.

Today, all proceeds from tutoring sessions continue to support Uplift Scholars, allowing us to not only educate students but also reinvest those funds into education for underserved communities.

The Uplift Scholars team remains deeply committed to our mission and is driven to expand our reach, empowering even more members of our community through education.

Have more questions? Contact Uplift Scholars at upliftscholarsedu@gmail.com or fill out this form to get in touch with us!