'It made me eager to want to learn:' How this LA nonprofit is changing lives one tutor at a time

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Just a few weeks ago, Tim Bonds and Mariam Zaki met in person for the first time at her high school graduation.

"Yes, my graduation, and I was like, 'Oh my gosh. This is the person that every Saturday, I would meet up with to finish my homework and if it wasn't for him, I would be stuck on this problem," Zaki said.

They started with Algebra 1 and eventually tackled calculus, physics and linear programming, all through online tutoring.

"She was determined to succeed in every class we took, and when we had that class figured out, she was ready for the next one," Bonds said.

Their friendship began 5 years earlier when Zaki was in junior high. Bonds was a volunteer tutor with School on Wheels, a nonprofit learning center set in the heart of Skid Row that makes one-on-one tutoring possible for some of the most underserved students in Southern California - the unhoused.

"It was just really difficult to focus on homework all the time. You never really knew what was going to happen the next day," Zaki said.

Jada Allen, 17, shared a similar story.

"Going from your actual childhood home to a shelter is kind of a big jump," she said.

Allen connected with her tutor, Logan Foote, through the School On Wheels online tutoring platform long before meeting him for the first time, both admitting to some jitters when they finally met.

"But I mean, we've talked for an hour a week every week for the past three and a half years, so I think it also felt natural," Foote said.

"Even if stuff was going on, that was one thing I knew was solid," Allen said.

"I'm very proud of her. She's graduating with great grades with a college lined up," Foote added.

Allen and Zaki are far from alone.

Nelly, Star, and twin sisters Arielie and Natalie all graduated from high school this year, each having experienced homelessness and expressing gratitude to School on Wheels, and all looking ahead to college - and, in Arielie's case, to military service.

"There are a lot of students in the queue that are looking for tutors, ready to work hard, and they just need someone to spend some time with them," Foote said.

"It made me so happy and, like, eager to want to learn and pay attention in my classes and get good grades," Zaki said. "One, so I can make the people at School On Wheels happy, and also my parents happy, and so that I can reach a level of education that I can help other students to do that when I'm older."

There are currently 300 students in Southern California waiting to be matched with a tutor for online and in person sessions.

If you are interested in volunteering, visit the School On Wheels website.