Rise Celebrates 20 Years: Program Benefits Students at Caltech and in the Community

When Liz Jackman looks at new research about tutoring and mentorship, one big thing stands out: The most meaningful factor in a student’s success is relationships. “Students who have even one adult at school—a teacher, coach, or tutor—who believes in them and talks with them about their future are far more engaged and hopeful,” she said.

Jackman, the associate director of student programs at the Caltech Y, made this note during her welcome remarks at the 20th anniversary event for the tutoring program Rise. Established in 2006, the Caltech Y–led program connects Caltech student tutors with local students who want to improve their skills in math and science.

“What has changed tremendously over the years is the size of the program,” Jackman said. When she joined the Caltech Y in 2011, the program had 37 tutors. Today, that number has reached about 150 tutors each year.

Twice a week from September through May, Caltech students meet with more than 100 middle and high school students on campus for Rise tutoring. During the 2024–25 academic year, Caltech students tutored for 4,441 hours on campus and at John Muir High School in Pasadena. They spent 75 hours tutoring at Anawakalmekak, an Indigenous charter school in El Sereno, and 58 hours online helping Rise alumni transition to college and tutoring students in Pasadena City College’s Mathematics, Engineering, and Science Achievement (MESA) program.

Carlos Olivas (BS ’26) served as a Rise tutor for four years. “Little did I know that this journey would have such an impact on me as a person,” Olivas said at the anniversary banquet. “I joined thinking I would simply be helping students academically. But over time, I realized that tutoring is about much more than teaching how to solve problems or explaining concepts. It’s about encouragement, patience, trust, and showing students that they are capable of far more than they may believe themselves to be. At the same time, I found myself applying the very concepts and ideas that I was teaching to my own life.”

When tutoring through the Rise program pauses during the summer, Caltech students continue to support local students’ learning through Camp Rise, a day camp on Caltech’s campus offered in partnership with the nonprofit organizations STEAM:Coders and STEMulate Learning. Through this Rise-affiliated program, local students in grades three through six take part in math and art stations, science demonstrations, and lab tours alongside Caltech volunteers.

After the 2025 camp, parents Carla Lynx and Patrick Schott wrote that their son “loved every moment at Caltech, and it’s had such an impact on his excitement for STEAM. We’re grateful for the chance for him to experience a world-class university, its facilities, and traditions.”

Rise participants from elementary to high school gain important skills.

“The Rise program forever transformed the way I learn, while helping me realize my potential, and I am so grateful,” said Noni Johnson, who graduated as salutatorian of John Muir High School in 2025, where she simultaneously earned four associate degrees at Pasadena City College, which has a satellite campus at Muir.

“Rise inspired me to give back to other students who may also struggle with math and doubt their abilities,” she added. “I started tutoring elementary school students in my junior year of high school, and it has been so rewarding to help others in the same way that my Rise tutors have helped me. Through Rise, I also learned that education is not only about helping yourself but using the knowledge gained to uplift others.”