By Nick Diamantides
Staff Writer
Many adults are familiar with the old saying, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” Many parents and educators have also experienced the deep frustration of watching young people with tremendous potential falling by the wayside and never putting their innate abilities to any good use.
Elder Eddie Pierson spent much of his adult life as a public school teacher, and, during that time, he saw many students fall by the wayside.
Pierson, who taught in Memphis, Tennessee, and Oakland, California, moved to Long Beach in 2001 and decided it was time to do something to stem the tide of teenagers who drop out of school and/or choose a life of crime.
“We already know what needs to be done to help these kids,” he said. “The question is when are we going to do it?”
Pierson noted that, in his years as a teacher he observed many teenagers who could have succeeded academically if only they had had a tutor to help them. He also saw many young people who could have gone on to college but lacked the financial resources to do so, and settled for a lifetime of menial jobs instead.
To address those needs, in 2001, Pierson founded Academic Uprise, a nonprofit organization that provides tutoring for students in the Long Beach Unified School District and raises funds for scholarships. Recently, Academic Uprise initiated a mentoring program for at-risk middle school students as well.
Pierson, who is also an associate minister at New Hope Baptist Church, noted that his organization is founded on the teachings of Jesus Christ. “It is not a faith-based organization, but we definitely follow the principles that Christ taught,” he said.
The Signal Tribune will present more detailed reports on Academic Uprise in upcoming issues. For more information, call (562) 988-5811.
