Collaboration For Equitable Education

In this week’s blog Darius Moore ’25 and double major in both Finance and Accounting, reflects on his experience as an Engage San Francisco Literacy Tutor with students from Rosa Parks Elementary School. Read why Darius’ passion for education has not only been influential in the classroom, but also in his business endeavors providing financial literacy resources for all. 

Engage San Francisco (ESF) literacy is a tutoring program under the Leo T. McCarthy center that collaborates with elementary schools in The Fillmore / Western Addition to promote equitable education opportunities for children living in the neighborhood. It is important to realize that stepping into something that you are not a part of requires you to observe before you speak. This has been crucial to developing deeper and more meaningful relationships with the students within this community as it is important to understand not just how the classroom operates for you to be of assistance, but also finding the best ways to connect material to the students through their own personal experiences. 

We have been faced with more unique challenges in education than we have ever experienced before, so ESF literacy has played its role in providing more support for these children who have dealt with COVID-19 and may need assistance beyond the classroom. I have spent a lot of time with the students between K-5 and have started to learn the complexities of each level after becoming a part of the classrooms. These children need consistency, so I spend every week day at my site at Rosa Parks to not just be of assistance to students, but to the teachers as well. 

One thing that I have come to really appreciate about the experience I have had with this work, has been the ability to become a part of such a rich community full of culture, and acceptance for those who are, like myself, not a part of the community. That has been one of the key things that has enabled me to put my best foot forward in being the best support system I can be.

While these are some of the initiatives I have taken inside the classroom, there are countless other educational business endeavors I have taken on to provide access to financial literacy to all. I have created a business, Blackman Entities LLC which has a goal of not just providing one-on-one tutoring in all things finance from stock investment, to understanding how to invest, and day trading, but also creating a platform for people to ask questions regarding anything in the realm of finance. I have done speaker events for students since my senior year of high school, teaching students and staff about investment so now I have decided to branch it off further into another business endeavor. 

Now, I have created another company called Interview4U (I4U) that provides a free resume template as well as a personal interview guide I have created for students that will allow them to standout from other candidates for competitive business firms like the Big Four or investment banks like JP Morgan Chase or Goldman Sachs. Through getting tips from those who I have previously interviewed with as well as recruiters it has led to the creation of this new company!

Learn more about the Engage San Francisco Literacy program here.