Helping kids achieve their potential through mentorship.

We’ll connect your learner with an inspiring mentor and the tools to turn their passions into powerful skills.

Get started for free
The summer of possible
2 Months. Limitless Learning.
Say goodbye to the pressure to perform and hello to a summer of endless possibilities. Sign up for a personalized and flexible 10-session mentorship program for your K-12 student.
Enrollment ends June 21.
Secure a spot
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Our mentors are hand-selected to be the ideal match for your student.

We focus on identifying the traits and qualities that would best help students connect with their mentors. Because who you’re learning from is just as important as what you’re learning.

Ava
Los Angeles, CA
Design
Lula
Nyack, NY
Sociology
Eden
Crowthorne, Berkshire
Economics
Matthew
Houston, TX
Radio, Television, Film
Colette
New York, NY
Theater & Performance Studies
Franck
Lousville, KY
Computer Science
Matthew
Honolulu, HI
Psychology
Jonathan
West Lafayette, IN
Mechanical Engineering
Browse all mentors

we have 290 mentors from 39 colleges and universities, across 8+ disciplines with expertise in 147 topics.

Stanford University logoHarvard University logoYale University LogoPrinceton University LogoNorthwestern University LogoUniversity of California Berkeley logo

If we don’t already have the IDEAL mentor for your student, we’ll recruit them.

Each student receives their own personalized learning plan.

Our team will work with you to design a learning plan that targets your learner’s main concerns. Whether they are looking to explore multiple topics and see what sparks their curiosity or are seeking a subject-matter expert for a passion they already have.

Our programs are perfect for kids that are:

Unengaged in school
Lacking executive function skills
Unsure about higher education
Not curious about the world around them
Stressed and burnt out
High performing but unfocused
Searching for a career path
Not getting the resources they need in school
Get started for free
Our mentorship model is supported by four pillars:
PILLAR NO. 1
Near-peer mentorship
Learning from a college student who's not too much older in age than yourself so they can set out the path to where they got to and make it feel attainable.

Our mentors were in your students shoes not too long ago. We also grew up on social media. We also had our education halted by the pandemic. We get it!
PILLAR NO. 2
Passion based learning
Starting with students' existing interests and showing their applications in interdisciplinary ways… whether that be sports and learning sports analytics or sports journalism or cosmetics/your daily skincare routine and learning cosmetic chemistry.

It’s also about anchoring learning in the why. In the workplace, everyone should know how their day to day tasks ladder up to a greater north star goal. In school, we don’t tell students why they’re learning geometry or reading Shakespeare, so of course they ‘lack buy-in.’
PILLAR NO. 3
Project based learning
Many of our engagements culminate in project deliverables but more than anything its about the ethos…

We aim to detach that fear of failure and encourage exploration.
PILLAR NO. 4
Representation Matters
You are what you can see.

Whether it's your race, gender, a learning difference you have, your aspiration to be a college athlete, we want to match you to a mentor who you can see yourself in.

Don’t take our word for it, here’s what our community has to say:

Asher is an engaging mentor who inspires my son to love learning. Igniting intellectual passion is the key to creating life long learners who never stop wanting to understand and grow and my son is lucky to have Asher as a partner in his unusual covid-period learning!
ERICA KESWIN
mom & BEST-SELLING AUTHOR
Erica Keswin headshot
ERICA KESWIN
mom & BEST-SELLING AUTHOR
My husband, Jeff, his favorite quote growing up was always “chance favors the prepared mind.” So my son Daniel is meeting with [his Curious Cardinals mentor] Matt and building his cryptocurrency expertise. There was one day, I was in my office meeting with a woman, and she says she does a podcast. One of [the episodes] was about NFTs. And I was like, ‘Oh, Daniel, my son, is learning about NFTs,’ so I called Daniel, and they basically interviewed him to see if he actually knew anything. He was great, and he was on the podcast. Without Curious Cardinals and without the mentor…that all led to this moment. It just shows that by connecting [kids] with a mentor – somebody that they can really connect with on a particular topic – they can find great opportunities.
Asher is an engaging mentor who inspires my son to love learning. Igniting intellectual passion is the key to creating life long learners who never stop wanting to understand and grow and my son is lucky to have Asher as a partner in his unusual covid-period learning!
HEATHER LEFCOURT
MOM OF 6TH GRADER
Deb Liu headshot
deb liu
mom & ceo of ancestry.com
Curious Cardinals not only helped spark Bethany's passion for writing, but connected her to a college mentor who she could see herself in and look up to for inspiration.

Every parent hopes that their kids can find role models who are not only highly ambitious and highly accomplished, but also have integrity and compassion too - and that's what Curious Cardinals has facilitated for my daughter. Her mentor helped her find her author's voice and put together a viable plan to launch her blog, all empowering her with more confidence in herself as an individual. She loved it so much that I signed my son up too!”
We marvel at the fact that the best teachers our kids have ever had aren’t even teachers! Alec and Audrey have such an impressive mastery of their respective subjects. They create engaging, relevant and challenging coursework that accomplishes what we most want for our kids - a love of learning.
ALICIA TRANEN
MOM OF 5TH & 8TH GRADERS

How it works

Tell us about your student
Take a quick survey or hop on a call, we love to hear you brag about your kid(s) or listen to your concerns. We’re also happy to chat directly with your student.
Identify your needs & goals
Does your student need help going beyond their school’s curriculum? An accountability partner or subject-matter expert for a passion project? A math tutor?
Get matched with a mentor
We’ll send you and your student up to 3 mentor recommendations to choose from within 24 hours.

99% of our customers are very happy with the matches we make but if you’re not we’ll keep trying until we get it right.
Start meeting & tracking progress
Your student will meet with their mentor virtually on a custom schedule. You’ll get progress reports and notes from the mentor after every session.

We’re experts at helping both students that know exactly what they need and those that have no idea.

have questions?
book a call
what we believe
read our manifesto
our diversity is our strength
join our community
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press@curiouscardinals.com

©2022 curious cardinals, inc. made with ❤️ in california. all rights reserved.

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