My father, mother, and grandmother under the St. Louis Arch in late 2007.
About me
Hello! I’m Aaryaa More and I am a sophomore at Solon High School, graduating class of 2026. I founded Aim 4 the Stars with the hope of reaching out to young children who struggle with the significant issue of learning English as a secondary language. The goal of this program is to make English accessible for everyone, through a personalized curriculum that touches on every aspect a child needs for their own English-learning journey.
Aim 4 the Stars sprouts from a personal corner for me. I was born to immigrant parents, who came to the United States of America in 2007 from India. For them, America was the land of opportunity. But also a foreign land; a land that spoke the foreign language of English. I distinctly remember my father portraying a somber, downcast tone as he reflected upon how difficult it was to convey even the simplest message. How difficult it was to convert his thoughts in his mother-tongue language marathi to this extremely complex language, just to request directions? This concern of mine gathered even more attention as my mother re-began her education journey in 2021. It is promptly embedded in my mind the struggles she burdened, just to write a simple essay in her English 1010 class. Or perhaps, her puzzled complexion as she furrowed her brow when she didn’t understand the passage in front of her. Because it isn’t that easy.
In addition to bringing light to trials of English as a second language, my parents also demonstrated how it can be overcome. Through years of determination and practice, my father reached the State level in public speaking and earned many awards through his local Toastmasters club (president, area governor). My mother continues to work extremely hard to earn her degree, two years later, and she now tackles each essay with such ferocity, even if it means she needs to re-read a passage or two. And together, they have fostered a source of willpower in me and inspiration to help the children around me overcome language hurdles.
The United States of America is the land of opportunity. I want to help children realize the variety of opportunities by acknowledging the beauty of language. I want to give them the opportunity to aim for the stars.
My brother and I, quite engrossed in our books, in 2018. Both of my parents incorporated the importance of reading every day and it fostered a great interest in learning at a young age.
