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Today marks the second time that I’ll be heading off to attend the Annual Books for Africa Gala. It is amazing to think that it has only been a year since my last trip to Saint Paul, Minnesota, and even more incredible to look back at what we have accomplished. This time last year, the Course Hero Knowledge Drive wasn’t more than a couple months old, and I had yet to meet a single person from Books for Africa. I was hoping to get a minute or two with founder Thomas Warth and maybe a couple pictures to commemorate my first trip to the yearly event. Those hopes were far surpassed, and the people, groups, and organizations that I was able to connect with have been paramount in helping us make the great strides that we have in the year that has just recently passed.
Since that first trip, 36,000 more books have been sent to children abroad. That large yet simple number concisely highlights the tremendous success that has been achieved by the Course Hero Knowledge Drive and all those who are involved. The Knowledge Drive has now been launched at over 120+ campuses, and with the tremendous efforts of 150+ bright young student leaders at each of those universities, there are now thousands of students across the country uniting together to help make education more accessible for learners and educators both here and abroad.
While the accomplishments and growth have been fantastic to see, it is even more energizing to know that there is still tremendous room to succeed and lift the Course Hero Knowledge Drive to even greater levels. If this is what we have accomplished in a little over our first year, imagine what we can accomplish in the one to come. Beyond bringing the Knowledge Drive to 100+ additional campuses and making sure we provide the very best academic resources for students at those universities here in the US, we are exploring applications for our Courses and Flashcards tools to provide accessible learning solutions for underserved communities abroad.
This second trip to Saint Paul helps highlight the significant progress in the Knowledge Drive’s mission to build the very best learning resource for students. As a speaker at this years gala though, which also includes Elkanah Odembo, Kenya’s Ambassador to the US and Mr. Oluwasegun Ibidapo-Obe, Nigeria’s Ambassador to the US, this trip validates the powerful impact that Course Hero is having as it revolutionizes the landscape of education, and confirms that there is tremendous support to continue doing so from every corner of the educational world.
While it will be nice to celebrate and speak about the accomplishments of this past year, it will be even better to map out the future of this movement, and how we will work together with the individuals and groups involved with Books for Africa to turn that path into a reality. That is something that I look forward to sharing when I return, and am excited to do an even greater job of helping everyone learn, share, teach, and achieve at an even greater level, both here and abroad.
