For most, Saturday mornings mean a few extra hours of sleep (okay, more than a few if you’re anything like me), a decadent brunch, and recuperation from Friday night’s events. For junior Amelie Byun, Saturday mornings mean teaching a class of 18 high schoolers at the YMCA to help better prepare them for the SAT.

Junior, Asian American studies major and education minor Amelie Byun volunteers through PTPS to prepare low-income students for the SAT.

Being surrounded by so many extraordinary students all the time makes it easy to overlook a lot of the incredible things incredible people are doing on this campus. Byun, an aspiring teacher, is part of People’s Test Preparation Services (PTPS), a campus organization that seeks to address the SAT achievement gap for low-income students at more than 13 high schools in the East Bay. But PTPS isn’t solely for students looking into education careers, in fact most members are not aspiring teachers.

“Even if you aren’t interested in a career in education, there’s no better way to give back to the community than by dedicating some of your time to high school students,” said Byun. “We can help them become motivated to come to a great school like Cal.”

Around 40 students take the PTPS decal each semester and are sent out to various schools in the area with one goal in mind: help students find success. But the question is, does it actually work?

According to class administrator Katrina DeVaney, students improved by an average of 270 points on their SATs over the course of last semester.

Most of us have tried to block out the memory of the days we spent with SAT prep books, sitting in SAT prep classes, and above all else the dreadful 3 hours and 45 minutes we spent in a quiet test center. Regardless of the amount of trauma we may have incurred, we successfully overcame the SAT and made it to Berkeley. We should share this wealth of experience with others who wish to follow in our footsteps!

“It’s an extremely important program, because it provides the opportunity for the high school students to excel on their SAT and meet their potential during the dreadful and nerve-wrecking college admissions process,” said Byun about PTPS.

PTPS members teach a verbal or math class for 2 hours each week.

Even if just hearing the word SAT – or in this case, reading it – makes you a bit queasy, you can play a big role in helping others overcome their fears of this exam. While PTPS looks to hire well suited and qualified Berkeley students, you don’t have to be an SAT wiz or have scored a perfect 2400 to join. The decal portion of the organization provides participating students with needed materials, curriculum, and insights into the worlds of teaching, problems in education, and the SAT.

For Byun, giving up those few extra hours of sleep to work with her students is far from a sacrifice because “nothing beats the feeling of seeing your students get the material you are teaching.”

UC Berkeley students can take the PTPS decal for 1-2 units.

Providing disadvantaged students with much needed exam preparation services they wouldn’t receive otherwise has been an incredibly fulfilling experience for Byun.

To join PTPS in their mission to close the SAT achievement gap, apply to be a teacher for the fall 2014 term.

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