In the summer of 2024, Nila Elangovan created a non-profit organization called The N-Lighten English Tutoring Program to help underprivileged students in grades 5-8 who struggle with the fundamentals of English reading, writing and speaking.
Nila has been passionate about teaching for many years. During Covid, she saw neighborhood elementary school kids struggling with gaps in their learning due to online school. She took the initiative to teach them individually and continued to teach them over the summer and the winter months as a freshman and sophomore. This interest was kindled further by Dr. Dhar. G. Zen, a teacher of math and science and a tutor at the City of Fairfax Library, who inspired her to start an official tutoring program. In addition, Nila’s close friend, Nihar Anand, is equally passionate about teaching and runs the non-profit with her.
Nila noted that extra tutoring help has traditionally been something that only well-to-do families could afford, and she wanted to be able to provide tutoring help to those who faced financial barriers. She thought that by providing free tutoring to those in grades 5 – 8, it would help improve these students’ English fundamentals as they transitioned to high school.
“According to the National Library of Medicine, upward educational pathways and higher literacy is linked to lower crime rates,” said Nila. “I believe that fostering an inclusive and diverse learning environment from childhood helps students feel valued and boosts their self-confidence.”
The tutoring program currently has five tutors (including Nila) and two people doing social media outreach and website development. All the volunteers work together on the teaching curriculum by having the students complete a diagnostic test before the volunteers give a parent orientation. This way, they can tailor their lessons toward the students’ struggles, inform the parents, and gain input from them. The volunteers also make sure that the students and parents are on the same page about their child’s learning. “We dedicate five to seven hours of our time each week to develop a curriculum that includes homework, slideshows, class projects and games that enhance social interaction, mini-quizzes to ensure a thorough understanding of content, and the structured lessons that we run twice a week,” Nila said.
N-Lighten publicizes itself through flyers, a web presence, Instagram, and Linkedin. They also meet with other non-profit organizations to gain a better understanding of how to run their tutoring program. Twelve students are currently enrolled, and Nila expects that number to increase during the rest of the school year as they expand their reach beyond children in Northern Virginia, and also to adult immigrant populations.
“The students we tutor come from diverse backgrounds,” Nila said. “We want to ensure that we’re sensitive to their varying cultural traditions while also supporting them with the English skills they need to be more self-confident in school.”
Nila soon plans to establish the tutoring program as a 501(c)(3) certified non-profit so that she can include more children and adults. Her long-term goal is to expand throughout the United States and to other countries where English is a second language. She also hopes to establish metrics to show improvements in students over time, and an organizational structure where currently enrolled students and adults are encouraged to teach other students and adults. This way, the program can grow, build stronger connections, and help secure confident, lifelong learners within communities.