An integral part of United Way of Salt Lake’s work to improve education outcomes is supporting and collaborating with the teachers and school partners who educate students in classrooms every day.
Andrew Busath has been a teacher at Kearns High School for 19 years. For the last 15 of those years, Busath has taught Latinos in Action (LIA), a national program that empowers youth to lead and strengthen their communities. Although the program is geared toward students who identify as Latine, it is open to anyone who wants to participate and has grown to serve almost 300 students at Kearns High each year. “It’s a class that focuses on preparing kids for life after high school, specifically college and career readiness,” Busath said. “We do that through service, culture, leadership, and excellent education.”
Busath and the Kearns High LIA program have also been involved with various United Way of Salt Lake initiatives for over a decade. “I love United Way of Salt Lake–I’m grateful for all their support and [for] thinking of us here at Kearns and how they can help our kids achieve their potential.”
Learning Through Service
LIA students engage in regular reading and math tutoring with students at the elementary and middle schools in the Kearns High feeder pattern. According to Busath, this partnership not only benefits the younger kids, but it helps the high school students gain valuable skills and confidence. He also attributes a sense of accountability to the younger mentees for helping boost attendance. “There’s a lot of kids through the years that have told me that the only reason I’m here is because I had to help the little kid that I’ve got to tutor,” Busath said. “Seeing, hey, this kid’s counting on me. I’ve got to go to school today, even though I don’t want to. I’ve got to show up for them.”
United Way of Salt Lake provided support and coordination for the first few years that Kearns High LIA participated in Read Across America Day, one of our Year of Action events that promotes elementary literacy. This initiative has since become a tradition for Kearns LIA students who distribute books and engage in reading activities with students at six elementary schools.
During Busath’s 15 years with the LIA program, students have collectively completed over 152,000 service hours. “It’s a huge tribute to the kids and their love of serving, helping out, and making a difference,” he said. “Just having that great feeling of knowing they made their community, their school, their town, their world a better place.”
Creating Opportunity through Community Partnerships
The Kearns High LIA program collaborates with local corporate and community partners through “Adopt-a-Class.” For the past five years, Busath has paired a corporate or community partner with one of the eight LIA class sections.
These partners visit their class once a month and give presentations about different career paths, help students develop their resumes, practice job interviews, and more. Partners also arrange field trips so students can visit job sites and learn about different industries. “It makes it a whole lot more real for the kids,” Busath said. “Having them bring in expertise and using their skills and what their talents are as a company brings real-world experience and value to class. It exposes the kids to all the different paths that are out there.”
Many students have maintained relationships with their mentors after graduating, and one former LIA student returned as a mentor after being hired at one of the partner companies. According to Busath, Kearns High has achieved a 98% graduation rate for students who stay involved with the LIA program.
Supporting Students to Graduation and Beyond
Busath said funding and support from United Way of Salt Lake has “allowed more kids to take LIA and have these experiences and opportunities.” This support extends beyond high school graduation.
Many of Busath’s students have received the Deborah S. Bayle Scholarship Fund for Youth, United Way of Salt Lake’s scholarship program that has helped over 100 students pursue post-secondary education over the last ten years. “It’s an opportunity that they wouldn’t have otherwise,” Busath said. “It’s helped numerous students go and graduate from college.”
Thank you to Mr. Busath for everything he does to support the students and families in Kearns, and for his dedication and commitment to collaborating with United Way of Salt Lake. Visit our website to learn more about how United Way of Salt Lake supports teachers like Mr. Busath through our education initiatives.
Written by Jenna Fischer, Content Strategist
