I believe that any student can overcome obstacles and succeed when the proper support system is in place. I began tutoring at Cleveland's Collinwood High School in 1995. I'd just joined GE. My early focus was on helping students pass proficiency tests required for graduation, but as word spread across the school about the success of "GE-tutored students," I received more requests than I could handle. I enlisted the help of several colleagues to create a formal program to recruit and train tutors, match them with students, and assess our progress to make sure we were making a difference. We recruited more than 40 volunteers, and the success rate has been excellent. Maybe more important, self-confidence, courage, joy and a can-do attitude have been instilled in our student partners.

I always had my family and other people in my life who cared and took the time to help me learn and be successful. I feel it is my obligation to do likewise, and I encourage the students I tutor to help others as they progress. Success is contagious.

Collinwood High School is one of 18 "college bound" high schools supported by the GE Fund, the Company's philanthropic foundation. This program's goal is to significantly increase the number of students who go on to college after graduation. GE people also volunteer more than 1 million hours a year in communities around the world; and the GE Fund, GE Elfun (the Company's global employee / retiree volunteer organization) and individual employees and retirees annually donate more than $100 million to support education and community organizations. For more information, see www.ge.com/community