CRLT employee works for kids with K-grams program

 

Photo by Paul Jaronski, U-M Photo Services)

Rishi Moudgil has always loved working with children. "I believe that these days many folks underestimate the abilities and virtuous promise of youth, and it's our responsibility to encourage their excellence," Moudgil says.

As a U-M undergraduate in 1998, Moudgil turned his words into action when he founded K-grams (Kids Programs), which joins U-M students and elementary school children in activities such as BookMARK mentoring, the pen pals program and the annual Kids-Fair.

Moudgil, now a program coordinator at the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT), won the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Grand Angel Award for his involvement with K-grams. The $5,000 award was given to Moudgil Nov. 15 for his dedication and passion toward establishing a positive environment for youth in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Detroit.

As an undergrad, Moudgil noticed that a large number of U-M students were willing to volunteer and form direct relationships with others but lacked the opportunities to do so. "I was working with elementary school kids and realized how beneficial one-to-one sustained relationships with college students was for them," says Moudgil, who organizes the Seminar Series for faculty and graduate students at CRLT. "That is when I thought of the pen pal idea and how, by connecting students through residence halls, we could really develop meaningful, sustained relationships."

The Department of Housing was supportive of Moudgil's idea, and K-grams became well-established during its first year. Since its inception, the program has continued to grow and gain momentum. Through its partnership with the Department of Housing, K-grams remains completely student-run.

A 70-member student programming council, more than 1,000 college pen pals, 200 weekly mentors and hundreds of Kids-Fair volunteers work to keep the program running. Currently, Moudgil leads a small team in creating a model and network among more than a dozen other colleges in an attempt to replicate the success that K-grams has achieved at U-M, while students keep the project going on campus.

Though the work is challenging, it is worth it, he says. "The reward of working with kids," he says, "is always ten-fold."

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