By Guadi Rabino
Staff Writer
Inspired by their own academic resources, Mira Costa sophomores Sanjana Chopra and Kelsey Ward created their own non-profit organization to aid other Los Angeles students in finding success.
This January, Chopra and Ward founded the Queentia Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides opportunities, like academic seminars, for underprivileged students in Los Angeles. The goal of the organization is to expand the students’ academic skill sets by empowering them with tools, such as books, for future success.
“We were mainly inspired by the fact that at Costa there is a constant reminder about college preparation and the importance of academics,” Chopra said. “We wanted to send this message out to members of other communities outside of Costa.”
Chopra and Ward said they were frustrated about the lack of options that other schools presented to students in these areas, and the absence of influential figures to guide these students through the academic process. They also noticed a lack of emphasis on completing college requirement classes instead of classes that revolve around students’ interests.
“Instead of ranting about the situation, we decided we needed to do something about it,” Ward said. “We decided it was time to start an organization for this cause because we wanted to see a change.”
With the help of close friends and family members, including Ward’s mother, Cheryl Ward, they created the Queentia Foundation and a website to go with it. When looking on Google Translate, the pair discovered the word “queentia,” which is Latin for “opportunity, possibility, ability, power and skill.”
The foundation is currently starting its first project, a book drive that will donate books to students from the schools they work with. Chopra and Ward have advertised for the event by placing promotional posters around the Costa campus.
“Our goal is to provide children with leisure books that will spark their interest in reading, and, hopefully, eventually learning,” Kelsey Ward said. “We just want to excite them and help them learn.”
Eventually, Chopra and Kelsey Ward hope to bring programs like Naviance, an online college and career-readiness provider that Costa uses to give students college-planning tools, to schools that do not offer such services. They said they hope to help make connections between counselors in the greater L.A. area to set up seminars to help the students with time management, school and extracurricular prioritization and study skills.
“I know that education can lead to great opportunities,” Chopra said. “I want young children to care about their future and to learn from a young age that learning should be a priority in life.”
Chopra and Kelsey Ward have contacted counselors through the Richstone Family Center and through the Mar Vista Family Center to gain their support. Over time, Chopra and Kelsey Ward plan to grow the Queentia Foundation through their seminars so they can have an impact on the lives of more students in the greater L.A. area.
“I wish I thought more about my aspirations from a younger age so I could have realized how lucky I was to have the support that I do,” Kelsey Ward said. “I wanted to not only share some of the support but also encourage kids to have dreams.”
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