Curious Cardinals was born out of the idea that passionate college students could serve as mentors for K-12 students, inspiring the next generation of change-makers.
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, Stanford students Audrey and Alec began tutoring high school students virtually. They found students were often disengaged from school, rehearsing memorized facts instead of thinking critically, and lacking a genuine excitement for learning. Audrey and Alec started creating lesson plans that applied the subjects students were learning to their greatest passion– criminal justice reform for Audrey, and aviation for Alec. Seeing how students were inspired, they began to recruit their brightest friends to make subjects come alive for other students.
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Since then, Curious Cardinals has become a global platform for students to learn what they want to learn, and for mentors to teach what they want to teach, ascribing value and agency to both the teaching and learning roles. We believe that students are more fulfilled and productive members of society when they find a passion that brings purpose to their lives– and our mentors are here to guide them through the process of discovery.