Why this exists
I'm a first-generation college student. I was lucky to have family and mentors who supported me, but I never had someone in college to look up to: someone a few steps ahead who could get me excited about what was coming and show me it was possible. I think that would have changed a lot for me. I want every kid to have that person.
I've been a camp counselor for over seven years. I staffed the same camp summer after summer, and last summer I ran it. Camp taught me how kids actually grow: someone gets to know them as individuals, does real things alongside them, and gives them room to figure out who they are. A kid shows up quiet and hanging back, and a few weeks later they're leading the cabin skit.
Brightpeer is my attempt to make that camp magic something kids get every week, not just in July.
I've built curriculum and taught in a lot of different settings, and I study education at Brown. I've also worked with Mosaic, a program that builds kids' confidence on self-worth rather than comparison. That idea shapes everything here. On Pitch Day there are no winners. Each kid is measured against who they were in week 1, never against anyone else.
