Meet Nova Spero | Not for profit Organization

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nova Spero and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nova Spero, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Passion. The only reason our not-for-profit is successful is because of all of our passionate volunteers. Our volunteers each understand the importance of what we do and why we do it. Whether it is tutoring the kids to help with their school work, to help them get ahead in school, or to get them caught up with material, our mentors understand the importance of education and why doing what we do is so important. However, the biggest aspect of Nova Spero is the mentorship. Alongside tutoring the kids, we make sure to spend half the time every week getting to know the kids so that we can be friends and mentors in their lives. We want to give them hope that they can change the course of their lives and make sure they know that there are so many people that care about them and their success. Our volunteers spend hours outside of the time we spend going to City Heights to make sure that each kid is matched up with a mentor that they will get along with and bond with; because in the end, that is what is most important. Passion is the key to our success.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The most important factor behind our success are the kids and volunteers who show up every week with enthusiasm and eagerness to learn and mentor. With education, mentorship, and engagement as Nova Spero’s three core values, we at Nova Spero believe that we can empower underprivileged immigrant youths through personal mentorship and academic enlightenment. We understand the mindfield of things that these youths deal with and see everyday. We try to imagine ourselves in their shoes, and how we could positively influence their growth. We want to empower them with compassion. After working and engaging these youths in conversations, our volunteers realized these youths are a lot like us and it is clear that there is a common thread that binds us as humans regardless of background.

We strive to make learning enjoyable for not only the students, but for our tutors as well. Not only do we seek to enrich their knowledge, but we aim to empower them to be the light in their community and do amazing things which can result in lasting positive change in them and in their community.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There are a lot of fun things to do in San Diego. Our volunteers especially like hiking at Torrey Pines, hitting the beach at La Jolla Cove, surfing in Del Mar, hitting the farmer’s market in City Heights, and even enjoy tourist attraction, Balboa Park. There are so many beaches to hit whether you are in North County San Diego or South County. Most of our volunteers are from North County so many weekends, you may find them at Moonlight beach and then hitting the Taco Stand for a delicious California burrito.

Website: Novaspero.org

Instagram: nova.spero