Count her in.

How Jenn Hwu and Strength in Numbers DC are making a difference – one student at a time.

“Don’t get overwhelmed by thinking you need to do something big for it to matter. Tiny differences add up.”

In the hallway of a busy DC elementary school, a student with significant social-emotional challenges was having a tough day. Being pulled out of class for a special math session triggered a visceral reaction — until Officer Ervin, the school’s beloved security guard, stepped in. With her gentle presence, she “whispered” the child back to calm.

After a successful session, tutor Jenn Hwu suggested they make something together to thank Officer Ervin. Using a compass — Jenn can find a way to work math into anything — they drew a circle and a heart, wrote “Thank you, Auntie” in careful cursive, and taped a Jolly Rancher to the card. When they handed it to Officer Ervin, she was visibly touched. “It was a little thing,” Jenn said, “but it was one of those moments that builds connection for all of us.”

Jenn is the founder of Strength in Numbers DC, a tutoring program that works with kids in Title I* DC public schools. What began in 2021 as a reaction to drastically uneven pandemic learning experiences has grown into a small and deeply impactful nonprofit. “Some kids had tutors, some were back in school quickly, and some just… disappeared from learning spaces,” Jenn recalled. As a long-time educator in the DC area, Jenn saw an opportunity to use her unique skills to address the learning needs of kids who lacked access to other resources.

The program began at Takoma Elementary School and has since moved into other schools with similar needs. At first, Jenn’s focus was solely on students who were underperforming in math due to no fault of their own. Over time, Jenn also noticed “overperforming” students whose talents weren’t being nurtured because schools lacked the capacity. “There was a really gifted 5^th grader at one of my schools who was testing off the charts. His experience made me realize I needed to expand my mission a little bit,” Jenn explained. She now supports students who are referred to her for a variety of different needs.

When she decided to launch Strength in Numbers DC, Jenn had never applied for a grant before. She braced herself for a lot of rejections, noting “you hear stories of people who apply for 30 grants before they get one.” But her very first application — to a small foundation called the Wild Gifting Project — came back with a yes. “They were building the plane as they flew it, just like I was, so it was the perfect partnership.”

Jenn says that when she was designing the program, “I asked myself three questions: Where can I have the biggest impact? Who can I partner with? And what do I do really well?” That clarity has kept Strength in Numbers DC grounded in its mission and niche. She also established a Board of Directors with a wide range of experience, talents, and connections to shape the direction of the organization.

Jenn feels most rewarded by the relationships she’s built with students and teachers alike. “The chance to touch base over and over again, to go back and talk to a teacher who taught a kid two years ago — it helps me understand the child’s whole story,” she said. “It’s meaningful to everyone involved that somebody’s still looking out for this student.” Jenn’s love for her students, and the respect she has for the educators she collaborates with, comes through in volumes when she talks about her work.

Part of the program’s success lies in staying intentionally small. By working outside the formal DC Public Schools system, Jenn can collaborate with educators on her own terms. “I’m not trying to scale up to something big,” she said. “That allows me to relieve pressure from DCPS teachers, while knowing everybody is collectively stronger on behalf of the kids.” Jenn is able to focus on real impact for individual kids — and also maintain balance in her own life so she doesn’t burn out.

When the work feels overwhelming, Jenn focuses on keeping things in perspective. “I know I won’t fix the entire system,” she said. “But I also know this isn’t just a bandage. So I ask myself: what can I do today? What can I plan for in the next couple months? What does this student need next year?”

Her advice to anyone looking for inspiration is simple: “Don’t get overwhelmed by thinking you need to do something big for it to matter. Tiny differences add up. Do those things — and then let yourself appreciate the difference you made.”

Want to support the amazing work Jenn’s doing with Strength in Numbers DC? You can learn more and donate here.

* A DCPS school is eligible to become a Title I schoolwide program if the poverty rate of the student body is 35% or more.

Lately, it feels like the news is one gut punch after another. In conversations with friends, neighbors, and clients, I've realized that many of us are feeling powerless and ineffectual.

This is the motivation behind The Inspiration Series: short, true stories about everyday people doing inspiring things. Not superheroes. Not billionaires. Just neighbors, teachers, friends — people who saw a need and did something about it.

My hope is that a steady stream of positive stories can remind us all that we do have the power to make the world a better place.

Keep an eye on this space for routine posts, and please spread the word!