St. Petersburg College alumnus Samyr Qureshi will help adult learners at St. Petersburg College receive free tutoring support through his co-founded platform Knack, a unique tutoring service that pairs students with peers who have excelled in the courses they are taking.
Knack has partnered with the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay, Pinellas County Urban League (PCUL) and LEAP Tampa Bay College Access Network to support returning students who desire to complete their education or training through the Complete Tampa Bay (CTB) initiative.
“As the Tampa Bay community continues to flourish, and given this time of immense need, it is essential that we come together to support innovative programs like Complete Tampa Bay that ultimately help meet the needs of our local workforce,” said Qureshi, Knack’s Co-Founder & CEO.
CTB offers a personalized coaching model to assist returning adult learners. The program helps them:
- understand how to find available education and training options
- discover available financial support
- access tutoring
- connect with local education partners that can support the completion of their education and training goals
Complete Tampa Bay’s local education partners include SPC, the University of South Florida, Hillsborough Community College, Pinellas Technical College and Hillsborough Technical Colleges.
“In these critical times, it is more important to focus on educational advancement, especially when we have seen the impact of COVID-19 on our customers. The key to future growth of any individual is utilizing all the resources available to them to achieve a better place in the workforce,” said the Rev. Watson L. Haynes II, President & CEO of the Pinellas County Urban League.
Urban League staff and the CTB Completion Coach will work together to identify other community resources that might be available to students in some cases; for example, those whose careers have been impacted by COVID-19.
“As a Completion Coach, I work to remove any barriers the student may have previously faced or are currently encountering so they can return to college and be successful,” said Matt Smith of Complete Tampa Bay.
“This hands-on approach to college and training enrollment will help streamline the frequently overwhelming process experienced by returning adult learners,” said Chuck Tiernan, Director of LEAP Tampa Bay. “We are honored to partner with PCUL and work together to serve their clients and to make Knack’s tutoring support available to them.”
“Knack is also excited to partner with LEAP on the Complete Tampa Bay initiative to help support returning adult learners with free tutoring that aids in their progression towards degree completion,” Qureshi said.
A former Student Government President at SPC, Qureshi became interested in the higher education process. He graduated in 2011 with an Associate in Arts as an Early College student and transferred to the University of Florida to study pre-law. After completing UF in 2014, he began his entrepreneurship journey as the co-founder of Knack. He, along with Knack co-founder Dennis Hansen, was named to Forbes’ 2020 Class of 30 Under 30. Tampa Magazine also included him on their 2021 Top 10 Under 40 list.
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