Teen brings love of math to others while tutoring young kids
While most teens are simply trying to survive end of year finals, one 15-year-old is focused on the grades of kids half his age.
Ben Kaufman loves math.
“I’ve always been gifted with numbers ever since I was little,” he said.
Besides acing AP calculus as a freshman at New Trier, Ben placed Top 20 in the state math competition and was one of the few students invited to the American Invitational Math Exam.
He also spends time tutoring others at The Nuestro Josselyn Center in Highwood.
“I put in all these hours doing these problems and I thought what if I could do the same thing but for these kids,” he said. “Most kids don’t understand that math is a bunch of little steps not one big step and everybody can do it.”
The center serves Latino kids and their families both academically and through mental health support. And building confidence is part of that.
“It makes me feel amazing that I’m making an impact in these kids lives. Because not only are they getting better and a better shot at life, but it makes me happy cause I’m the one doing that,” Ben said.
In the three years since volunteering there, Ben has tutored nearly 70 Highwood elementary students in math. The impact of Josselyn and the Nuestro Center for the Latino community has been just as remarkable, providing all kinds of resources for the families they serve. Most of it provided through donations and volunteers like Ben.
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