Our Mission
LYTE prepares economically disadvantaged youth for success from classroom to career through rigorous academic instruction, personal mentoring, and career development.
Our nine-year program supports students from middle school through college, helping them overcome barriers, access higher education, and enter the workforce prepared to lead fulfilling, productive lives.
In 2013, while teaching math at a Title I middle school in Wilmington, Delaware, Ankur Arya saw his brightest students being tracked into under-resourced high schools.
Determined to change that, he founded LYTE in 2014 to help students access better educational opportunities. What began with 10 middle schoolers has since grown into a statewide program serving hundreds of students each year.
The Problem
While education is one of the strongest predictors of lifelong success, the foundation needed to succeed from classroom to career is not equally accessible to all students.
In Delaware, this dynamic can be clearly seen in low-income areas; there are zero high-achieving middle or high schools in the state that serve predominantly low-income students.
In Delaware,
LYTE is a nine-year program that serves over 800 Delaware students.
We help middle schoolers close the achievement gap with after-school and summer classes, tutoring, and test prep, launching them into competitive high schools.
We continue to support our students throughout high school and into college with academic support, professional development, leadership opportunities, socio-emotional training, paid internship opportunities, and college access support.
