About Reach a Student
Objective: To provide WPS students the ability to access and share positive insight on any school related matter.
I founded Reach A Student in 2015, when I was 14 years old. The idea began during a family road trip, as I thought about how much my younger brother benefited from having an older sibling to turn to for advice. I realized that not every student had someone who could provide that kind of guidance. Some had parents, siblings, or mentors who could help them navigate school, activities, and difficult decisions, while others were left to figure those things out largely on their own.
I wanted to find a way to narrow that gap.
The idea was simple: create a platform where students could learn from the experiences of other students and have access to guidance they might not otherwise receive. Rather than allowing the idea to remain just an idea, I began working to turn it into something students could actually use.
My parents initially worried that taking on such a project alongside school and extracurricular activities would be too much. So I sought the advice of Mary Beth Davies, then Director of the Windermere Preparatory School Middle School. She believed in the concept and encouraged me to pursue it. Her support gave me the confidence to continue developing Reach A Student and to think more carefully about how it could serve the broader student community.
Mrs. Davies subsequently helped arrange meetings with WPS Headmaster Dr. Marcy and High School Director Dr. Williams. Their encouragement helped Reach A Student grow from an idea conceived by a 14-year-old into a functioning platform designed to give students a place to ask questions, share experiences, and help one another.
As the project grew, I also had the opportunity to speak with people whose experiences could offer students a different kind of perspective. One of the most memorable was Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. I never anticipated how widely that interview would resonate. Messages arrived from students around the world who connected with his advice and wanted to share their own experiences.
As the project grew, I also had the opportunity to speak with people whose experiences could offer students a different kind of perspective. One of the most memorable was Appleco-founder Steve Wozniak. I never anticipated how widely that interview would resonate. Messages arrived from students around the world who connected with his advice and wanted to share their own experiences.
As the project grew, I also had the opportunity to speak with people whose experiences could offer students a different kind of perspective. One of the most memorable was Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. I never anticipated how widely that interview would resonate. Messages arrived from students around the world who connected with his advice and wanted to share their own experiences.
That response reinforced the idea that had motivated Reach A Student from the beginning: useful guidance does not always have to come from an expert or a formal program. Sometimes simply giving people a way to share what they have learned can help someone else feel better equipped to take the next step.
Today, while studying at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and pursuing a career in psychiatry, I have chosen to keep Reach A Student active. Over the years, the site has accumulated an extensive collection of blog posts, interviews, and videos containing advice and perspectives that I continue to believe can be useful to students. Keeping the site available allows that material to remain accessible to anyone who may benefit from it.
Reach A Student began when I was 14 with a question about why some students had easier access to guidance than others. More than a decade later, I still value the same underlying idea: listening to people's experiences, making useful information easier to access, and helping others feel more equipped to navigate what comes next.
Sarina Khemchandani
Founder Reach A Student
