Brian Juarez of Watts Strives to Be the Tutor He Never Had

Brian Juarez can do it all!

The 16-year-old Watts, California, Boys and Girls Club volunteer enjoys giving back so much that he started his own tutoring group to “be to [the kids] what I never had when I was them,” he tells Live Life and Win!

“I volunteer because it’s a challenge,” he says “I keep up with the kids to try and actually refresh my memory on what they’re learning and to hope that I still remember that.”

Juarez tutors algebra, English and history – and for the advanced students, he helps them create computer software.

“I see these kids as the future of the world,” he says. “I think that at some point, we’re all going to be somewhere else, and they’re going to be the ones left who handle the responsibilities that we now have. … I want to know that I succeeded in helping them succeed.”

Reflecting on his upbringing in Watts, Juarez says he never turned turned to gangs or violence, and wants to ensure his students never do, either.

“I see a lot of potential in them,” he says. “They’re smart, they’re go-getters, but they just don’t know what to do with that misguided energy. The best thing we can do is channel it into something productive.”

 

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