Danville, Pa.
When Professor Annie Randall started a music course inside Danville’s North Central Secure Treatment Unit in 2015, she hoped Bucknellians could be a light in the lives of at-risk youth. This spring, those hopes were further realized when students launched a General Educational Development (GED) tutoring program at North Central, a residential facility for girls and young women, ages 12-21.

Why It Matters
The GED tutoring is part of the Community Engagement Scholars Program, which enlists service-minded Bucknellians in community projects. Students partnering with North Central residents not only met their educational needs but helped the young women gain self-confidence.

“People in these centers can be overlooked because of assumptions others make, but they’re extremely smart and have so much potential,” says Paul Danenberg ’23, a finance major. “We wanted to continue helping them to utilize their knowledge and fulfill that potential.”

What They Did
During weekly meetings over Zoom, the four Bucknell students helped the young women prepare for the GED exam through in-depth practice testing. Each student connected with two North Central residents to work through math, science, social studies and language arts topics.

“Some of us dedicated the first 10 or so minutes to get to know the people we were tutoring,” Danenberg says. “Making the most of our time with those who don’t often experience outside connection was really important.”
— Brooke Thames