I grew up in a South Memphis neighborhood where several kids on my street and I were about the same age. As we grew older and our coursework became more challenging, we decided to form our own study cell. After school, we’d meet at one of our homes, sit around the dinner table and help one another with homework and upcoming exams. If someone was having trouble recalling key facts in history or geography, we used our own creativity to put the troublesome answers in a poem, song or rhythmic pattern. Using our creativity made our study sessions fun and engaging. Moreover, we soon discovered that our grades were improving and our scores were among the highest in our school on national standardized tests. Each of the kids in our study cell went on to complete high school and college, and most of us hold graduate degrees.