To promote awareness of higher education, specifically in the engineering field, to community youth through tutoring and mentoring while allowing engineering students to pursue philanthropic endeavors and learn more about their future careers.
Who We Are
SEEK, in partnership with Communities in Schools, is a mentorship program led and run by UT Engineering students to provide low-income elementary and middle school students the opportunity to explore the idea of higher education and careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics) fields.
Our History
In 1999, engineering students at The University of Texas at Austin, with a strong passion for community service, founded a student organization focusing on both engineering and public service. The organization, Student Engineers Educating Kids (SEEK), started with a pilot program at Kealing Middle School.
Since then, SEEK has grown impressively and now has mentors at both secondary and elementary schools around the greater Austin area.
Today, the organization includes over 100 student Engineering mentors in the Cockrell School of Engineering and other departments at The University of Texas, making it one of the biggest outreach programs.
How does it work?
Every week, SEEK students carpool from the UT campus to a middle/elementary school for a two-hour session (M-TH 2:30-4:30 or 3:30-5:30).
Just like a class, SEEKers attend that session each week throughout the semester. Along with the weekly meeting, SEEKers must complete a weekly journal, commenting on the week’s mentoring session. Because SEEK also counts as a UT course, SEEKers receive two hours of course credit that goes toward their overall GPA.
Find out more about Communities in Schools.
Communities in Schools (CIS) is a nationwide network of passionate professionals working in public schools to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. They work within the public school system, determining student needs and establishing relationships with local businesses, social service agencies, health care providers, and parent and volunteer organizations to provide needed resources.
Through campus-based programs and special projects, Communities In Schools creates a network of volunteers, social services, businesses, and community resources that work together to break down barriers and help students succeed. And the formula works: last year, 99% of the students referred to Communities In Schools stayed in school.
SEEK mentors provide positive, one-on-one influence academically and socially, giving elementary and middle school students attention that can help them develop goals and better learning skills.
The Impact of Mentoring
Kids with with mentors are:
• 46% less likely to begin using drugs
• 27% less likely to begin using alcohol
• 53% less likely to skip school
• 73% more likely to set long term goals and raise their expectations
• 59% more likely to improve their grades
