Kumar Balasubrahmanyan is a man who can get things done. He has dedicated the last two years of his life to, as we say in AmeriCorps, getting things done for America. He has done so in service to 39 high school students with College Possible, a non-profit that strives to make college admission and success possible for low-income students. Kumar serves his students at Robbinsdale Cooper High School in Minnesota, and has worked tirelessly and uncomplainingly to achieve remarkable results for his students there. As his students get ready to attend college in the fall, I, knowing that they would not be in as good a place as they are now with a different coach, am delighted to nominate Kumar for the 2013 Service Impact Award.

The biggest impact Kumar has made during his terms of service has been with his students, who are now graduated high school seniors, and who he has worked with since the beginning of their junior year. During their junior year, Kumar helped his students achieve an average ACT score increase of 24.8%. During their senior year, 97% of them were admitted to college, and 95% admitted to a four-year institution. Other remarkable numbers that Kumar has helped his students achieve are the number of his students who have applied to at least one scholarship (95%) and the number of dollars won by his students from colleges’ institutional scholarships ($119,613). These are students for whom college was not always a given, and who now have incredibly meaningful options and futures before them because of Kumar’s unwavering dedication to his students and to College Possible’s mission. College Possible sets high standards and goals for its AmeriCorps members, and Kumar has handily met or exceeded all of them in his two years of service here.

Kumar has also meaningfully impacted his peers and supervisors at College Possible. He has dedicated many hours outside of the normal 9 to 5 to ensuring the success of his students, often showing up bleary eyed at College Possible Headquarters to mail college and scholarship applications, after being at school for hours and leading after school sessions for his students. When asked to help with tasks outside of his normal purview, such as helping to recruit students for the program at a new school, he has happily volunteered what little extra time he has. His steady, do-whatever-it-takes attitude has been an inspiration for others at this organization, as has his humbleness and his gratitude.

When asked to think about Corps members to nominate for this award, Kumar’s name rose steadily and unsurprisingly to the top of my mind. He has built meaningful relationships with his students through heartfelt and passionate conversations and lessons to ensure their post-secondary success. And, with his smiling and always-willing-to-help demeanor, Kumar has proven himself an integral and indispensable member of our organization. It is my great pleasure to nominate Kumar for the 2013 Service Impact Award.