Dear Friends at Sylvan,

I am sending you this announcement of my upcoming graduation from Cornell University. You are a part of my success story.

I began high school in 2000 at a private school in Austin, TX. Early in 2001, my family made the decision to switch me to a public school. The transition was difficult, particularly in math. My grades started to fall and I couldn't keep up. My parents had heard of Sylvan Learning and suggested I go for help.

At first, I thought Sylvan was for little kids and thought it might be embarrassing for a 15 year old to get tutoring there. However, my concerns vanished once I started my twice weekly sessions. There were other students my age and we sat in our own area. The help with math was geared individually for me, to help me where I was at. Everything was explained clearly and, as I applied myself, my grades came up. I looked forward to my sessions at Sylvan because I was getting the help I needed. I ended the school year with an "A" in my math class and decided to continue with Sylvan into the next school year. Later in 2003, I returned to Sylvan to get help in English and also to prepare for the SAT test. Again, help was sufficient to boost not only my English grade, but also my self-confidence. I got a 1400 on my SAT, about 250 points higher than the average for my high school.

Shortly thereafter, I dared myself to apply to an Ivy League University - Cornell University. My grades looked great as did my SAT. As you can see, I was accepted, made it through, and will be graduating in a couple of weeks! The entire four years at Cornell, I was a member of the Society of College Scholars - an organization for high achieving students.

Thank you for all of your help. I don't believe I would be where I am today without you!

Sincerely,