Ryan K. Never Stops Learning and Helps Others to Learn
To commemorate our 20th Anniversary, Learn4Life has been reaching out to alumni students to see how our school influenced their transition into adulthood.
Ryan Kinchen, a 2012 graduate from Alta Vista in Hesperia, Calif., came to us when he was struggling with a difficult home life. “Learn4Life gave me the flexibility to complete my studies on a non-traditional schedule,” he explained. “They helped me develop self-reliant work and study habits that I still use every day.”
After graduation, Ryan attended Pasadena City College, something that changed his entire outlook on education. “I was not raised in an environment that fostered education,” he said. “So, when I saw what kind of life I could have if I continued to learn something new every day, I quickly learned to love education.”
He later transferred to UC Davis, earning a B.S. in General Mathematics, a rigorous combination of pure mathematics and applied mathematics. And his passion for learning was in full gear. While in college he performed violin with several orchestras, taught motorcycle riding and safety classes, learned photography and studied Mandarin Chinese.
“I decided I wanted to structure my life so that everything I did contributed to a larger objective,” he said. “I spent years studying math, learning Photoshop and graphic design, taking computer programing and coding classes, and focusing on general business principles – all with the intention of ultimately starting a business.”
And that he did. Ryan returned to Hesperia and started his own business, High Desert Math Tutor, a math tutoring center and study lounge. He made it his mission to create an environment where students of all ages and backgrounds in the greater High Desert can come and learn to love math and education.
“I hope to build a stronger, highly educated community in the greater High Desert. I want others in this area to have an opportunity to learn to love education.”
Ryan looks back fondly at his time at Learn4Life. My teacher taught me by example that it is okay to have an open mind, and it is okay to talk with people of all ages and backgrounds. She didn’t try to make me – just a student – feel like I was inferior or unworthy of speaking my mind in our meetings. This outlook that she instilled in me has greatly influenced my life after graduating high school.
“I would advise current high school students to search for a mentor to help guide them toward the future lives or careers that they feel they can only dream of,” he added.