GW Student Delivers Remarks at White House Event Celebrating Milestone in Student Mentorship

October 15, 2024

Authored by:

Nick Erickson

A third-year student at the George Washington University delivered opening and closing remarks at a White House event announcing that the National Partnership for Student Success (NPSS) had exceeded a goal set by the Biden-Harris Administration of recruiting 250,000 new tutors, mentors and student success and postsecondary transition coaches across the country-a mark achieved one year ahead of its original summer 2025 target.

This national effort was a response to the 2022 State of the Union Address in which Biden directly citied the need for a quarter-million people to step into these mentorship roles in schools in the wake of pandemic disruptions. As NPSS organized its national network, GW was one of 50 higher-education partners that pledged to expand support for P-12 education.

Speaking to roughly 100 attendees in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, American Studies major and Cisneros Scholar Jesús Veliz shared his own journey as a second-generation immigrant from South Texas. Acknowledging that he navigated a challenging path-where English was his second language-that eventually led to GW, Veliz noted that his own support systems growing up motivated him to be one of the more than 320,000 who answered the administration's calling to be a tutor and/or mentor.

"It is for those who have supported me that I continue this vital work," Veliz said at the podium. "For those who came before me and those who will follow, this work is crucial in ensuring every student's success across classrooms in America."

Veliz serves D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) through a high-impact tutoring program called Math Matters, a program supported through GW's Honey W. National Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service designed to close achievement gaps in mathematics.

In his role as a lead tutor, he engages with students and collaborates with educators to understand classroom needs. Veliz sees himself in some of these students, tutoring those who face language barriers or lack of after-school resources, and he's formed personal connections with them and gained valuable insights into their experiences as he advocates on their behalf.

"I take pride in being more than just a tutor; I strive to be a friend who listens and understands their challenges," Veliz said in his opening remarks. "My role as a tutor and mentor for young DCPS students has become profoundly significant in my personal and professional life."

Thursday's announcements included remarks from AmeriCorps CEO Michael D. Smith, Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten and teachers, public school administrators and university professors. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona also delivered recorded remarks about the importance and significance of mentorship.

"When young people have trusted adults who they can count on in their life, they're more likely to do better in school. Their mental health improves. And they're better prepared to pursue rewarding lives and careers in the future," Cardona said. "That's why it's such a big deal that we are meeting and exceeding the president's goal for the National Partnership for Student Success. To all the champions, partners and leaders who've worked to make this effort a success: thank you. You show us every day what it means to strategically invest in our students."

In addition to tutoring, Veliz also participated as an AmeriCorps Summer VISTA in 2023, working with the Nashman Center, Emerson Collective and the Smithsonian Institution to facilitate a civic-oriented, project-based learning curriculum for middle school students.

His closing remarks reminded attendees that this collective effort requires ongoing involvement and that the success of NPSS reaching its goal a year early should inspire people to remain engaged and committed to achieving the positive outcomes nurtured by mentorship and student support in the nation's districts and classrooms.

"This work is continuous, and I hope you recognize and act upon the ways you can contribute-out of gratitude for those who have supported you, in honor of those who need support," Veliz said. "And as I learned while serving at Kramer Middle School: do it with purpose, on purpose."