Curious Cardinals Blog

For me, it started with avocado toast and ended with a race around the world. I am not kidding!! It was beyond challenging trying to figure out what to write about for my college essay. How could I distinguish myself in 2500 words that would essentially destroy or solidify my dream? As I struggled with where to begin and then how to end, the Hamilton lyrics "I am not going to miss my shot" played on autopilot in my head. Whatever I was going to construct had to be engaging, unique, soulful, poetic, creative, cool, layered, and brilliant. It also had to seamlessly reveal all of my best qualities without me sounding obnoxiously boastful or ridiculously humble. No pressure. No problem.

On June 1st, 2020, Alec and I launched our very first website. Curious Cardinals was officially born! 🎉

Looking for the perfect mentor to help your student improve their writing skills? Come out of their shell? Gain confidence in public speaking? Or does your kid already love to perform but want to try a fun new medium? Check out comedy writing with a mentor like Harvard alum Freddie Shanel! 

Mental Health Awareness Month, which takes place in May and aligns with the conclusion of the academic year, can be an extremely challenging and stressful time for students. Our students often express their appreciation for mentors who have recently experienced similar difficulties and understand the hardships they are currently enduring.

Mentor Reflections is our series where we hear from our mentor’s first-hand experience.
Today, we are sharing a reflection from Katie Fong (Stanford ‘22), a Curious Cardinal Mentor, regarding the gap year she took during her high school years. Read her thoughts below

May is mental health month and it coincides with end of the academic year, which can be an extremely challenging and stressful time for students. We often hear from our students how grateful they are to have a mentor who were in their shoes recently and get the struggle they’re going through.

We asked Katie Fong (BA, Stanford ‘22), a Curious Cardinal Mentor, about her thoughts on the matter. She reflects back at the four things she wished her parents had known about her mental health in high school to support her better. Read her reflections below.

When students see mentors who look like them excelling in any field, it gives them the courage to dream just as big. This Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating mentors inspiring the next generation of young women to be leaders, whether in STEM, the Humanities, or any passion field from game design to architecture! Is your student daunted by math and science? Could she use an exceptional mentor to show her all she’s capable of? What does fashion have to do with science?

Summer is fast approaching! Staring down the barrel of three months of unstructured time can be daunting for both students and parents: How can students stay engaged and avoid learning loss, but above all, enjoy themselves? We’re here to help your student make the most of their months off school!

“Risk more, think less, be yourself” - this is the mantra that we’ve repeated all month to address the confidence gap that’s engulfed our young girls.

In high school, “tutoring” felt like a dirty word.