Learn To Be Foundation

Michael Hu, a biochemistry major in The College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University and president of the SU chapter of Learn to Be, was awarded the 2012 Chancellor’s Award for Public Engagement and Scholarship (CAPES) on March 26.

He was recognized for exemplifying commitment and engagement with the community through his work with the LTB and its Say YES Collegiate Prep Academy (SYCPA) partnership.

This year, LTB and SYCPA have created a partnership to deliver online academic enrichment to Syracuse City School District high school students. Michael Hu started the SU chapter during his freshman year in the spring of 2011 and established the partnership with SYCPA in the late fall of that year. Learn to Be assists SYCPA with its online tutoring services, using the World Wide Web as an education media. Currently, there are 72 tutors and 234 students under that original partnership.

Michael Hu was nominated for the Chancellor’s Award by School of Education Dean Douglas Biklen, a strong supporter of LTB.

Among the six award recipients this year, Michael Hu is the only underclassman. Hu and Biklen recently finalized plans for the future and are concentrating on the New York Regents Exams, a statewide requirement for high school graduation.
Hu now plans to begin a pilot lecture series on April 16 for the Global and Geometry Regents Exams using Say Yes's resources.
In addition, he is working on a grant to provide T-Shirts, iPads, laptops, and other incentives to attract up to 200 consistent volunteer tutors to his chapter.

“Say Yes and Dean Biklen have big goals set forth on us, so I am very excited to be a part of this organization,” said Hu.