Kumon - My Inspiration to Success
Growing up, I had been an unmotivated student who lacked confidence and drives to succeed. As I entered high school, I decided to change this and began my journey at Kumon where I hoped to improve my numerical literacy. After an initial evaluation considering my ability and comfort with numbers, I was given a starting point that I would go on to master and continue to succeed in levels of increased difficulty and complexity. I found the method used at Kumon helped accelerate my learning and speed when solving both basic and complex math problems. This also gave me the confidence to approach learning new materials at Kumon or in high school with increased enthusiasm and a will to succeed. Near the end of my high school experience, I also had the opportunity to work at Kumon, which was another factor contributing to my confidence with not only numbers but also mentorship. I worked closely with students to meet their goals and provided support and encouragement to facilitate a positive learning environment that they were excited to come back to.
My experience at Kumon not only helped me in my personal life by changing my mindset to one where I wanted to succeed in school and beyond but, it also gave me a strong foundation for professional development. It has led me to numerous opportunities to work with multinational companies in the banking industry. My student and work experience in Kumon has made an impact on my career as I pursued internships in companies such as TD and Wells Fargo which I successfully completed. Aside from putting into use the numerical literacy and customer skills I gained from Kumon, I also became a career mentor in my final year of university remembering how much I enjoyed mentoring students at Kumon.
I graduated in 2019 with an Honours Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce, specializing in Accounting and minor in Economics. I have since been working at another global company in the gold mining industry while I am currently studying to write my CPA professional exams.
I can say with confidence that my experience at Kumon shaped my desire to achieve, overcome academic adversity, and inspired me to “dream big”. I would highly recommend the Kumon program to any student struggling with confidence and discipline. The program facilitates learning in a way that makes it quick to grasp. With resources available in the form of very supportive and well-experienced teachers and assistants, students are able to succeed in their journey beyond their centre experience.
From Kumon to Healthcare Leadership
My name is Aryan Kantoor. I am a current fourth-year bachelors’ student and second-year pharmacy school student. My journey at the Kumon Math and Reading Centre of Oakville West Oak started in Grade 4 and has continued to be a part of my identity even to this day.
I remember arriving at the learning center feeling afraid to introduce myself to the teaching assistants. Upon entering, I was greeted by my Kumon Instructor and now mentor Hana. She smiled at me, gave me a huge hug, and introduced me to everyone in the center. Suddenly, all my fears and worries were left at the door. I felt comfortable and capable to start studying at the center and begin my next step towards success. I enrolled in both Math and Reading Programs and after 6 months of studying in Kumon, my family and I saw tremendous improvement in my academic abilities. I had a lot more confidence in class and my grades reflected these changes.
One of the key pieces which helped to guide and shape my direction was Hana. She was there every step of the way and in the eight years I attended the center, there were several bumps that came up both in and out of Kumon. Transitioning from elementary school to high school and then university is major events that require not only preparation but also the right type of guidance. I was lucky to have Hana as a guiding figure who genuinely cared about my academic success.
After graduating from high school, I was admitted into the Doctor of Pharmacy Program (PharmD) at the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS). ACPHS is ranked as the #1 value-added college in the United States which means greater opportunities for professional success for students. I knew that ACPHS was the perfect choice to support my goal of becoming a doctor in the field of health care.
During my first year of college, I was very nervous and unsure of how I would do. Being in a super competitive program and performing to meet the requirements of professional school was stressful. In my course enrolments, I had a lot of math, reading, and writing courses. This included advanced calculus/algebra, statistics, and academic journal reading and writing just to name a few. During my participation in this curriculum, I was surprised at the amount of application of concepts that I have learned in Kumon Math and Reading Programs. One thing that I realized is that foundations set the bedrock from which everything else can grow. Kumon helped to firmly set my foundations by running practice drills and making concepts simple to learn so that it felt like clockwork by the time I would have evaluations in elementary, high school and university. Having strong foundations gave me the opportunity to spend time and grow other skill sets such as my leadership skills. Further expanding my reading, writing, and oral abilities, I became a Writing Center Assistant at ACPHS. This role entails me helping other undergraduate and graduate students with their academic/scientific papers and presentations. Furthermore, I applied and enrolled in the MBA program at Clarkson University, to create a dual degree that would put me at the forefront of healthcare leadership.
I am truly grateful for the opportunities and guidance that the Kumon Math and Reading Centre of Oakville – West Oak has provided me with.