Priya Venkat, 41,
moved to Seattle, Washington at the age of 24 and received her bachelors and
master’s in biochemistry. She has been involved in the healthcare industry for
14 years, seven of which were spent at the University of Washington Medical
Center as a researcher in the field of fertility and clinical lab work. Post
her involvement with the University of Washington, she also spent seven years
with Seattle Reproductive Medicine managing multiple labs in the IVF-In vitro
fertilization field.
Venkat considers herself
as “the original Best in Class mom,” because she first heard about the program six
years ago when looking for tutoring options for her own children. After toting
around parent-teacher conferences and checking her children’s homework, she
became alarmingly aware that the education her children were receiving in
school fell short. Searching for more advanced classes for her kids, she began
researching programs in Seattle and it was clear that Best in Class was the superior
option.
After visiting
Kumon and other “household name” centers, Venkat was convinced that their curriculums
were outdated, repetitive and didn’t offer the necessary strength to uphold
advanced lessons. In 2007, she brought her four-year-old to Best in Class and
has never doubted her decision since. It was her first-person experience as a
mother that inspired her to open her own center in Plano-Allen, TX, a mere four
months after relocating to the state for her husband’s job. Venkat notes the material, style of teaching,
length of classroom time and overall dedication that Best in Class offers is
unbeatable.
Currently in the
United States, there is a rising concern among employers seeking qualified
workers that the job pool is coming up short. To address this issue, the United
States government created the Skills for America’s Future because the U.S Jobs
Council saw a glaring need for employees to demonstrate more advanced skills,
specifically in the math, engineering and science fields.
“About 40 years
ago, only one in four jobs required more than a high school education, but now
about two in three jobs require more training. And workers now really need to
think of learning as a lifelong task. That's a huge shift from the days when
you did one job that never changed for one employer and then you retired.” (The
Atlantic 8/13) http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/08/why-jobs-go-unfilled-even-in-times-of-high-unemployment/278801/
Venkat hopes to
tackle this problem at the local level and get kids passionate, interested and
ready to learn at a young age. After doing market research in the Dallas-Fort
Worth area, it was clear that Venkat had an opportunity to bring something new
to the area. She visited school districts, reviewed classroom curriculum and
vetted enrichment programs – nothing matched the teaching style of Best in
Class. Best in Class emphasizes critical thinking while others focus on
repetitive learning.
Venkat is confident
that parents will notice the leaping triumphs their kids will achieve with Best
in Class and has decided to take a permanent detour in her career in
biotechnology to pursue this project full-time, “I’ve seen this work with my
own children. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t see their mental abilities
grow with Best in Class. I am a mother first, a business owner second,” she
said. Both of Venkat’s children have benefited from Best in Class Education; her
song has been part of the gifted program in Seattle and has been accepted to
the gifted program in Texas as well. They will continue supplementing their
classroom education with Best in Class curriculum.
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