As new manager of TNDC’s After-School Program (TASP), Laura Choe has an impact on the lives of hundreds of children and school-aged youth in the Tenderloin. Her work grew out of a personal revelation. While studying race relations in the Sociology Ph.D. program at U.C. San Diego, Laura saw the importance of working at the community level. She recalled the unsettling feeling that people of color were under-represented in the student body. “I realized that access to academia for low-income communities is a big issue,” she says. “While teaching undergraduates, I wasn’t reaching students who I wanted to help.” In 1997, Laura left academia with a Masters degree in Sociology to serve youth.

A Question of Need

Working with children is nothing new for Laura. After joining TASP in 1999 as Program Coordinator, she spent six years facilitating educational and recreational activities for school-age children. Previously, she worked at other programs, including a year teaching 5th graders in South Central, Los Angeles through Americorp. As she works in some of the country’s most disadvantaged urban communities, Laura keeps her philosophy simple by saying, ”I consciously choose to work in areas of the greatest need.”

The Tenderloin can certainly benefit from this thinking. In fact, increasing demand from parents to enroll their children into TASP speaks to the importance of this neighborhood resource. Such interest is astonishing because the center is only advertised by word of mouth. The program operates on a tight budget so enrollment is limited to 250 youth a year. “It’s never pleasant to tell a parent that their child can not participate,” says Laura.

Sending Tenderloin Teens to College

Part of TASP’s success is due to Laura’s efforts to get students interested in higher education. “Most of our students are the first generation to attend college so their parents may not have all the information the teens need,” she says. “I’m doing what school counselors would do if they had time to dedicate to each student or parent one-on-one.”

Under Laura’s oversight, higher education will continue to be a primary focus for the program’s teens. The most recent student to get accepted into college is Danny Ear, a 17-year old TASP youth worker who came to this country from Cambodia only four years ago. Laura spent weeks helping him prepare for the SATs, create a personal statement, fill out college applications, and seek financial aid. Danny was accepted into San Francisco State University and expects to hear soon from U.C. Berkeley, UCLA, Santa Clara University, University of the Pacific, among others. “I look forward to college life,” says Danny. “I’ll have freedom to get real-life experiences and be able to get better jobs later on.”

While Danny awaits life-changing news, TASP’s limited budget means Laura has little room for error. She manages a lean staff of six and the scheduling must be just right. She’s also planning for the upcoming annual college tour, which will take her students to Philadelphia. “Managing the program is a new challenge,” says Laura. “But it’ll be one of my most rewarding endeavors.” In kind, TASP’s youth are lucky to have her. With Laura at the helm, the program is a guiding force for Tenderloin youth to reach academic and personal success.