The Honor Roll: Tackling the achievement gap, one summer at a time
In part six of the Honor Roll series, Karim Abouelnaga discusses how his personal experience motivated him to revolutionize summer programs across the country — and one day, bridge the achievement gap
Editor’s Note: CGI U launched the “Honor Roll” to recognize extraordinary alumni who over the past 10 years have made a significant impact through their CGI U Commitments to Action and careers. Our Q&A series will highlight these exceptional CGI U alumni.
The achievement gap — often defined as the disparity in academic achievement between various ethnic and income groups — continues to challenge educators and the communities they serve worldwide. From exacerbating income inequality to curbing social mobility, figures reveal the gap has cost the United States alone as much as $700 billion in lost GDP growth — a number likely to grow without substantial action. For example, while college-completion rates have remained stagnant for low-income students, high-income families continue to comprise the majority of selective universities across the United States.
Fascinated by the achievement gap through his own experiences growing up, Karim Abouelnaga always felt a deeply personal connection to expanding equal educational opportunity for all.
As a Presidential Research Scholar at Cornell University, he learned that two-thirds of the achievement gap was attributable to the loss of academic skills during the summer vacation period — and that the high cost of summer programs already put low-income students at a distinct disadvantage. Karim saw a need for affordable and effective summer schooling that students actually wanted to attend.
That’s why he came to CGI U in 2012 with Practice Makes Perfect (PMP), an organization that provides low-cost, high-quality summer programs for students that are most at risk of falling victim to the achievement gap. From lectures on performance metrics to workshops on social media strategy, Karim’s CGI U experience helped him grow PMP into a company that has today served more than 3,000 students, trained nearly 250 teachers, and created more than 900 seasonal jobs throughout New York City. PMP centers on a unique mentorship program that pairs participants with college students, and participants return up to five months ahead of their counterparts in reading and writing.
We had the chance to catch up with Karim and chat more about the incredible work he’s doing at PMP.
CGI U: You came to CGI U with a commitment to provide high-quality, affordable summer programs for students throughout New York City. What was the inspiration behind this?
I was raised by a single mother on government aid and attended some of New York City’s most struggling public schools. I felt disengaged throughout middle school and went to a high school with a 55% graduation rate. However, I was fortunate enough to have a series of nonprofits and mentors step into my life and prevent me from neglecting my own potential. With their help, I went to college and learned about the inequalities of public education and realized how fortunate I was to overcome the inordinate amount of adversity that first-generation college students like myself faced. As the second oldest of seven kids (with my youngest brother being five by the time I went to college), I felt morally obligated to improve their education in any way I could.
Moreover, I also realized that many of those working to reform education in New York City had never walked the halls of struggling schools themselves. Some lacked a genuine understanding of the environment they were trying to change. The education I’ve received has allowed me to achieve the social mobility that my family dreamed of when they immigrated from Egypt to America — and as such, I’ve made it my life’s commitment to make sure that all kids have an equal chance at achieving high-quality education.
CGI U: Can you remember a moment when you realized the impact you were making through your CGI U Commitment to Action?
My commitment was to run high-quality, academic summer programs in low-income communities, very much like the one that I grew up in. At the end of our inaugural summer, we had kids telling us our program had been “the best summer of their lives.” Given that many affluent families spend thousands of dollars on high-quality summer programs for their kids, we knew we were on to something when we were able to achieve positive results for less than $250 per student. It was in that moment I also realized that many of our kids didn’t have anything else to compare their experience to. If it wasn’t for our program, many of these kids would be spending their summers at home, disengaged and likely not learning.
CGI U: What was the most important lesson from your CGI U experience?
All big things start small. Having a real impact requires patience and no one at CGI U achieves their success overnight. The first time I went to CGI U, I remember seeing other students’ Commitments to Action and feeling intimidated. Although I was motivated to work harder, I found myself feeling like I could never achieve the impact that others were having. I now know that the success others achieved was the result of building on small actions every moment instead of gigantic steps taken over the course of a few days.
“All big things start small. Having a real impact requires patience and no one at CGI U achieves their success overnight.” — Karim Abouelnaga
CGI U: What was your best CGI U moment?
In the spring of 2013, during my senior year of college, my team’s commitment was recognized as one of the top commitments made. I got to go on stage, share my idea with the other attendees, and shake hands with President Clinton himself!
CGI U: What’s the biggest piece of advice you would you give to college students looking to make their mark on the world while they’re still in school?
The time is now! There’s no better time to start investing in something bigger than yourself. You have the time to do research and you have access to so many resources that you won’t have access to after you graduate. There are professors who can mentor you, peers who can help you, and resources that can help fund tests or small experiments. The best part is that even if you fail, there’s no harm in trying.
“The time is now! There’s no better time to start investing in something bigger than yourself.” — Karim Abouelnaga
Building on the successful model of the Clinton Global Initiative, President Clinton launched the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) in 2007 to engage the next generation of leaders on college campuses around the world.
Each year, CGI U hosts a meeting where students, university representatives, topic experts, and celebrities come together to discuss and develop innovative solutions to pressing global challenges. Students create their own Commitments to Action that address issues on campus, in local communities, or around the world. The Honor Roll features some of CGI U’s most exceptional alumni.
CGI U will convene next at the University of Chicago, from October 19–21, 2018.
Follow us on Twitter @CGIU or Facebook.
