Candice Smith is a AmeriCorps member serving in the inner city of St. Louis to help students effected by the difficulties of remote learning.
“Over the course of the pandemic, a 'digital divide' has emerged, a gap in education due to a lack of technical resources. My community is greatly impacted by this divide with some districts seeing a 20% dropout (failure to log in for class) rate.
Serving as a volunteer coordinator, I am privileged to bridge this divide by engaging with youth and providing tutoring. We have been able to help students complete assignments and exams necessary to graduate, provide guidance in STEM subjects, and simply serve as the encouragement to continue education despite the difficulties from a lack of resources.
I know that the road to recovery from COVID-19 will take longer in communities like mine. However, I also know that my service is going a long way to minimize the gap in education created by the crisis.”