Who: Amruth Nandish, 16
What: Started a mentoring program to help children of essential workers
At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Amruth Nandish overheard his uncles worrying about his cousins. His uncles are health-care workers and were spending a lot of time away from their children. Amruth, who is from Houston, Texas, could relate. When he was younger, his mom worked long hours as a dentist—and he watched a ton of TV. He wanted to give other kids a more engaging outlet for their free time.
So Amruth launched Telementors, a free virtual tutoring and mentoring program that pairs high schoolers with children of essential workers. He recruited families for the service and signed on himself as a mentor. One of his first matches was with a 12-year-old boy who he tutored and played puzzle games with over video chat.
Telementors quickly expanded throughout Texas. Amruth has since partnered with hospitals in other states, enrolling dozens of mentors and mentees. The teen hopes to grow Telementors to help sick children who spend a lot of time in hospitals. He knows how important it is that kids not feel isolated: “Just having someone to talk to and listen to you can change your whole outlook,” Amruth says.