Returning from their studies at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Connor Wills and CJ Muth brought a program back with them that is breaking boundaries to end the education gap. The Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) is an Australian-based program with a goal of ending the education gap between the indigenous minority of the country and other citizens.

Wills and Muth became involved in the program while they were studying abroad and were passionate enough about it that they spoke to the CEO and made Pace the first institution in the U.S. to join their cause.

This expansive program aims to be international and has already reached other places around the world, including South Africa. The next step is to bring the program to the United States in an effort to end the education gap between varying demographics.

This is was made possible through the Hooded Scholar program. This program enables 200 American students to fly to Australia for free to learn about the AIME model and bring it back to their home institution to gather mentors to kick off the program in their respective location.

Pace students are encouraged to apply, as one student will likely be chosen to go to Australia through the Hooded Scholar program this February. Although space may be limited to one Pleasantville student and one Manhattan student, there is no limit to the number of students that can join the cause and become mentors and tutors. Applicants are being accepted up until the plane is full, but students are encouraged to go to aimementoring.com to become acquainted with the program and apply before the end of the semester.

To apply, students must fill out their contact details on the website, identify a demographic that they wish to help—this demographic should be one that the student can personally relate to–, get a letter of endorsement through Dean Lisa Bardill Moscaritolo, and submit a short video discussing why you are a good fit to be chosen.

Once the program is brought to Pace, whether it is through the Hooded Scholar Program, or on their own, the team of students involved will participate in outreach and tutoring days. Outreach days will consist of going to the local high school and middle schools that Pace is affiliated with through the program, and engage with the various student demographics in a creative way. On tutoring days, the students will be brought to Pace to be tutored.

“Education can really save so many people and AIME really is about that,” Wills said. “And it’s not just in a way that is putting kids into more classrooms, it’s about exciting kids about education… It’s exciting kids about who they are, even if they aren’t mainstream culture; even if they aren’t in the top class percentages, even if they fall below the radar.”