Riyah Patel, a 17-year-old from Concord, New Hampshire, founded the nonprofit New American Scholars in 2021 to provide free tutoring to refugee students. Her program now serves more than 100 students in her home state.
Q: How did you come up with this idea?
A: New American Scholars came out of the pandemic. As a freshman, I felt really isolated and alone during remote learning. I spoke to my mom, and she shared with me similar struggles she’d had with school as an immigrant from India. These discussions encouraged me to think about the challenges faced by marginalized students in my community.
Q: What’s your favorite part about it?
A: I walk away from the tutoring sessions that I have with these kids, and sometimes I worry that I’ve learned more than they have about the world around us. Every time I work with them, I get inspired. I’ve become passionate about making sure that they have a voice.
Q: What are your future goals?
A: I want to make New American Scholars bigger. Everyone deserves the right to be educated and to be helped.
Q: Any advice for other teens?
A: Identify problems, and don’t wait for permission to fix them.
(This interview was edited and condensed for length and clarity.)