Sydney Assil

Sydney Assil – California
Nomination by Shauntell Brittian
Photography by A La Mode Photo
Issue 91 of Inspiring Teens Magazine
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​Nomination: Sydney Assil launched The Honey Project in 2022 – a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide critical resources and educational opportunities to uplift the next generation. She’s inspiring because in less than three years, The Honey Project has supported three schools in Peru, totaling roughly 250 students, with the hopes of one day being able to support more children across the globe. From building school libraries with Spanish-to-English learning supplies to hosting annual holiday parties to school supply giveaways, the organization’s unwavering efforts have been a beacon of light to those in need.

Photography by A La Mode Photo
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What inspired you to lead the Honey Project?
The Honey Project’s work goes back to 2019, as a family effort to support disadvantaged students in Peru. In 2022, I began doing weekly virtual tutoring with students from the schools we work with in Peru, during my lunch breaks at school. Forming a direct connection with these students and watching them learn and grow inspired me to take the helm of the project and catalyze our efforts. Since then, I have been the president of the organization.

What initial things did you do to get it set up, and then how did you gain momentum?
When I realized that The Honey Project could make a larger impact with the right foundation, I applied for 501(c)(3) recognition, purchased our domain, set up a website, and started planning initiatives for our upcoming trips, along with some local fundraising events. I also had the benefit of pre-established relationships with schools and other support staff working from Peru because of the work my family had done, and that played a big role in helping my planning go smoothly

What was the hardest part about getting it to where it was starting to be successful?
The COVID-19 pandemic was a big deterrent to our work in Peru. For over a year, our efforts were halted as travel was hard, and our coordinators in Peru were unable to do their usual work communicating with the schools. However, I think this obstacle ultimately helped us grow. After the mania of the pandemic relaxed, we finally applied for 501(c)(3) status and began to establish more organized and consistent efforts to support the schools and their students. The popularization of Zoom also aided the start of my online tutoring experience, which pushed me to lead the project.

What does the Honey Project do here in America to provide support elsewhere?
My support system and community in Los Angeles are a huge help in spreading our message and raising funds for the organization. We often host fundraisers in Los Angeles, which helps support our projects in Peru. Also, we run large drives in LA and transport everything we collect to Peru.

What has been your most rewarding experience with this endeavor?
Once, while visiting a school in Peru, a young boy approached me and asked for my phone number. I smiled and said I was too old for him. He clarified: “No, I want you to teach me English!” (in Spanish, of course). This shocked me, in the best of ways. It was the first time I got such a clear display of these students’ desire to learn, knowing that speaking English is one of their best guarantees of success. It warmed my heart and felt like a sign that the work we were doing was having an impact.

What have you learned about yourself in the process?
I’ve learned that when I’m passionate about something, nothing can get in the way of my goals. Since I came to lead The Honey Project, I’ve consistently prioritized doing more and more, and expanding our efforts exponentially as I go. Every time I hit a roadblock in my planning or goals for the project, I know there will be a solution. I know that I have a strong and supportive community within and around the organization, which will lead me on the right path.

What are your next steps with it?
I am currently expanding The Honey Project into Los Angeles. After a few months of planning and coordinating this project, I have partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Monica to pilot a peer mentoring program this Spring that will launch officially in the Fall. The Honey Project's mission is to enhance children's education, and I am excited to approach that goal in a new way with this program, as peer mentoring is proven to build confidence and excitement around the learning process.

What do you feel passionate about or could talk about forever?
I have a strong passion for working with children, which has motivated me to continue expanding The Honey Project. My love for this work began with teaching young Peruvian students English, virtually. Watching them slowly learn new words and form sentences showed the impact I could make on them, and I wanted to do more, so I launched The Honey Project as a nonprofit organization. Every visit, hug, and smile from these children drives me to do more every day to expand our work and advance their education as much as I can.

What inspiring things about you does your nomination not cover?
I take pride in my ability to run The Honey Project full-time as its president, and also excel in my academic and creative endeavors. Junior year of high school is busy, and I've learned to balance my classwork, time in the pottery studio, college preparation, social life, and extracurricular activities, all while prioritizing The Honey Project above all else. At the heart of this is my love for the good we do, and my confidence that we will make real change in the world.

Tell us about your pottery. What do you love about it, and what is a favorite piece you've created?
I love pottery because I am able to combine so many different techniques and mediums into single forms. The piece I throw on the wheel develops further when I trim it and add texture, and then I get to combine special patterns and color reactions using glaze to make something beautiful and unique. My favorite piece is a jade green bottle, with carved floral designs in bright red. It reminds me of a serene garden, the same serenity that I feel when I make pottery.

How do you balance all of your activities and still make sure The Honey Project remains successful?
As a junior in high school, it’s hard. This year, my social life has definitely taken the biggest hit, because I refuse not to give The Honey Project or my school my full attention. Right now, in the Spring quarter, I am working hard to study for finals and AP tests, but most of my other free time goes straight to The Honey Project. Between our pilot peer-mentoring project in LA, for which I also work as a volunteer, our plans for this summer in Peru, and working on possible new technology to support education globally.

What is your friend group like, and what do you like to do together?
My closest friends and I love to go to the beach, on bike rides, and on hikes together. We have big slumber parties and cook and bake together. We’re a close-knit group, and they’ve been my friends since the seventh grade. In bigger groups, we like to have pool parties and potluck-style gatherings. I also love to hit the tennis court with my friends from the tennis team on a Saturday morning.

Share a favorite family memory you will never forget.
When I was little, from ages two to six, my dad and I loved to bike around together. When I was in preschool, we would wake up at 5:00 AM every morning, he would put me in a little green basket on the front of his back, and we would go down to Ocean Park. I would collect petals from the rose garden to bring back to my mom. These memories are why I will forever love biking, and I plan to do it with my family when I grow up.

How did you find your photographer? What was your experience like? What did you love most?
Heather did a couple of photoshoots of my family when I was very young, and she and my mother have kept in touch. since. I reached out to her a few months ago, asking if she could take my headshots. The results were better than I had imagined, and it was a wonderful process with her. We spent the whole time laughing together and sharing about our lives. She is a kind, interesting, and talented woman!

Why do you want to be in Inspiring Teens Magazine?
I believe that part of The Honey Project's responsibility is not just to work towards our goal, but also to spread our message to as many ears as possible. I, alone, cannot help every single child in the world who is not receiving the education they deserve. But if I work to recruit as many people as possible to my cause, maybe someday we can make that dream a reality. It's taken a strong community to get the Honey Project to where it is today, and it will take an even bigger one to continue propelling us toward our goals.

If you win a scholarship, what will you do with the money?
Every year, we create a bigger and better plan for our annual summer trip to Peru. Last year, we built a library at one of the schools we work with and filled it with hundreds of books. This summer, we are planning an education fair for hundreds of students complete with science-based workshops, inspirational speakers, and confidence and teamwork-building exercises. With this scholarship, we could make summer 2026 our best endeavor yet, and bring necessary infrastructure and technology to even more schools in Northern Peru.

Is there anyone you'd like to thank for helping you to get where you are today?
I have to thank my parents most of all. First, for helping to launch The Honey Project and instilling a love for philanthropy in me so that I could become the leader of this organization. But also for continuing to support me in all my endeavors now. My mom joins me on every trip to Peru, and my dad helps me prep whenever I have a meeting to pitch a partnership or plan an important event. I wouldn’t be able to do any of it without them.

What are three things on your bucket list?
Go sky diving
See the northern lights
Learn how to do a cartwheel

Look for Sydney in issue 91 of Inspiring Teens Magazine!
*Interviews are not edited after received from our inspiring teens - what you read is who they genuinely are!

click here for more information on issue 91

click here to nominate an inspiring teen

Photography by Kerry & Tanaz Assil