ABOUT (a2ce.org)
In 2019, a group of dedicated high school students at Saratoga High School (SHS) -- located in the Bay Area -- founded a student-led club called Aspiring to Create English (ACE).
The goal of our organization is to provide opportunities for students in need to enhance their English reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. Over the school year, we connect student-tutors at SHS with students around the world to help them with English while learning more about the American culture and lifestyle. In the summer of 2020, we expanded worldwide with English panels over Zoom to discuss topics such as culture, mental health, and environmental awareness that is prevalent not only in the U.S., but elsewhere in the world.
The idea of the club originated from founder Anthony's personal experiences in Yunnan, China, a rural province, where he taught underprivileged students English over a 10-day period. He witnessed first-hand the background of poverty that the students came from and the role education plays in helping them succeed. Upon returning home, he began ACE in hopes of helping students like those in Yunnan who need experienced English tutors to help them learn the universal language.
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YUNNAN VOLUNTEERING
Every summer, I traveled to rural Yunnan, China, to teach English to a class of students. Although I was the teacher, I learned more from them about my privilege and naivety than they learned from me. Upon returning from the first camp in 2018, I resolved to start a club at my school, Aspiring to Create English, to continue bringing them English education over the year. In 2020, we expanded globally to Japan, India, the Middle East, and more.
Yunnan, Hui Ze Camp, 2018 Class
Yunnan, Yuan Yang Camp, 2019 Class
During the day, I led my class through a lesson plan I wrote out the night before. Other than teaching grammar, pronunciation, and more in a local high school's classroom, I led them in fun activities within and outside the classroom.
Over the camp, I, along with the other teachers, led the 200+ students in the camp in group music classes and fun activities. I got the opportunity to bring my music from across the world to Yunnan, China, for these studnets.
ACE
Upon returning back home, I immediately gathered a team of officers and began work on ACE. I passed out flyers to advertise in Yunnan, and made posters to advertise at school.
In 2020, ACE expanded worldwide with virtual Zoom panels where 2 student presenters share something they are passionate about and the group discuss about it in English. We were joined by students in China, India, Japan, Germany, and more. Later on, we added debate-style discussion sessions that are meant to pick each other's brains and practice conversing in English. The discussion revolves around 1-2 thoughtful and relatable questions/issues.