WORCESTER – “How will my education be impacted?”
“Are my children receiving a quality curriculum through Zoom?”
These are some of the questions that students and parents have been asking themselves throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. As a high school teacher, professor, and mother, Mindy Nguyen saw first-hand the difficulties that remote learning presented students and was eager to find solutions.
During the pandemic, Nguyen founded The Enrichment Center at 115 Fairmont Avenue in Worcester, to help both struggling students and students who just needed a bit more of a challenge in their curriculum.
The concept of The Enrichment Center was literally a dream for Nguyen. “It might sound crazy,” Nguyen said, “but I’ve been dreaming about it every night.”
While living in Florida, Nguyen’s ten-year-old son was ahead in his classes, but upon returning to Massachusetts, she found that the current curriculum was under-stimulating for him.
“He was bored. It was just too easy for him,” Nguyen said.
When Nguyen went to look for academic enrichment programs for her son in the area, she discovered that not only were they far and few between, but they were also costly and lacked individualized learning.
Additionally, friends were asking her to tutor their kids and she saw that most of her high school students were struggling with remote learning as well. After seeing all these issues arise, Nguyen realized that there was a niche in education that desperately needed to be filled in order to help students learn effectively during the pandemic.
“I wanted to create something for those who want to be challenged while helping those who were struggling,” she said.
The Enrichment Center is a half tutoring and half academic enrichment model that customizes learning plans to meet each student’s individual needs.
“The goal is to create something that is unique to each student,” Nguyen said. While each program is specialized, the model also allows the students to still learn within their grade.
The Enrichment Center offers a wide variety of services for learners of all ages while maintaining a COVID-safe, in-classroom setting which benefits those who struggle with remote learning. One-on-One Private Tutoring assists students in subject areas such as English, Science, Math, and Social Studies. The Enrichment Sessions are geared towards students who need more academic challenges while the Catch Me Up Sessions are perfect for students who are missing homework assignments or who are struggling and need a little extra support.
Nguyen’s favorite class is her Mommy & Me Sign Language Class which she describes as a “fun and informal”, 45-minute sign language session that Nguyen looks forward to doing with her own infant daughter. In the future, The Enrichment Center will also offer ESL classes to those who seek to improve their English language skills.
Female Empowerment is also a very crucial business priority for Nguyen. As a woman in the male-dominated field of STEM, she experienced gender discrimination and did not feel comfortable sharing her ideas amongst her male peers.
“At first it took a toll, but one day I woke up and was like ‘No, we are equal to men’”, she said.
This turning point gave her the confidence to make strides in her career, but she realized that some of her high school students were shying away from entering science-oriented fields for similar reasons. One of her goals is to empower women, especially teenage girls, through her free Empowerment Club on Sundays which is available on Zoom and open to the public to anyone over the age of 12.
The Enrichment Center’s future is bright and full of possibilities. Ultimately, Nguyen would like to see The Enrichment Center “everywhere.”
“There should be an affordable center that caters to everyone,” she said.
Opening a new business during a world crisis presented many obstacles such as trying to make The Enrichment Center affordable and highly accessible, while still paying the overhead costs. As a mother of two on a teacher’s salary, Nguyen completely identified with the need to have high quality academic supports at a price that most families could afford.
Nguyen said her main goal was “…to make it affordable for parents. I’m not in it for the money, it’s my passion to help people.”
More information about The Enrichment Center and their services can be found here.
Image courtesy: @RissiepPhotography
