Minds Matter Adds New Houston Chapter
New York, NY – Minds Matter’s Board of Directors has approved the creation of a new chapter in Houston, Texas. This will be the 14th chapter to be added to the national nonprofit organization. Minds Matter Houston will begin serving students in September 2017.
Minds Matter is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to transform the lives of accomplished students from low-income families by broadening their dreams and preparing them for college success.
The organization’s Board of Directors approved the Houston chapter following a presentation of research by the chapters’ founding Executive Team, led by chapter president Amar Gujral.
“Our team is honored to be a part of such a well-established program as Minds Matter,” said Gujral. “We have built a strong leadership team here and are thrilled to begin serving students this fall. As one of the largest school districts in the nation with a widening achievement gap, there is no doubt in my mind that Houston will greatly benefit from what the Minds Matter platform can offer.”
Houston is the fourth most populated city in the US, and has the seventh largest school district in the US. Seventy six percent of HISD students qualify for free or reduced lunch and 60 percent identify as being economically disadvantaged. Houston high school students also underperform on standardized tests by five to 15 percent compared to the rest of Texas.
This is the third chapter in three years to join Minds Matter, which will now have 14 chapters nationwide.
“The Houston Team presented a very compelling case for their readiness and ability, and received unanimous approval to launch their chapter this fall,” said Minds Matter CEO Gadi Ben-Menachem. “We are thrilled to welcome them as the newest member of the Minds Matter family and we congratulate them on being selected for our program.”
Minds Matter Houston will serve low-income students accepted into the program by supplementing the lack of resources available to low-income Houston students. Beginning with a small initial class of sophomores, the chapter will provide extensive mentoring, support and college counseling, and will provide SAT preparation to help raise students’ average SAT score and help students in Houston achieve their dreams of college admission and success.
About Minds Matter
Minds Matter transforms the lives of accomplished high school students from low-income families by broadening their dreams and preparing them for college success. Through a highly selective and rigorous 3-year academic mentoring program, Minds Matter students accomplish the extraordinary. 100% of Minds Matter program graduates are accepted into a four-year college. More than 70% of them attend some of our nation’s more selective colleges. Powered by over 2,000 volunteers nationwide, Minds Matter Chapters are located in 14 cities across the country. The national office of Minds Matter is located in Manhattan.