SouthGrove Scholars is founded by Helen Chen, a Stanford graduate and former Disney Imagineer. SouthGrove is a place for young leaders to learn the skills and make global connections to tackle the toughest challenges in life.

At SouthGrove Scholars, our mission is to empower young people to gain confidence in pursuing their dreams. Our vision is that all students are motivated to learn, are supported by their family and community in their quest for knowledge, and have equitable access to high-quality educational experiences. 

SouthGrove comes from the Chinese characters 南 (nan) and 林 (lin), which are the names of Helen's grandparents. In his youth, Nan returned from Singapore to China with the idealism for rebuilding a country. He joined the first generation of power engineers in post-war China and contributed to expanding the country's electricity generation network. Lin was a self-motivated learner who continued to update her knowledge and skills even into her retirement. From China to Canada to the United States, they pursued their dreams for a better life and contribution to society, and set an example for their children and grandchildren to do the same. We want to share the same spirit with aspiring young scholars and entrepreneurs around the world.