SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Angelina Mo and Xiaoyan Huang have been friends since they were in kindergarten at Sundance Elementary. They say their friendship has grown because of their love for boba tea.
“I think it was an addiction for a little bit,” Mo said.
Mo and Huang started high school together at Westview in 2020 and then the pandemic hit. While learning from home, they realized they could use the sweet drink for an even sweeter idea.
“We heard about other school districts that might not even have the Wi-Fi they need at home or the proper school supplies they need to do work,” Mo said.
That’s when Boba 4 Books was born.
“Our goal is to provide educational resources and equal opportunity to underserved youth in California, well, I guess the entire nation now,” Huang said.
Mo and Huang get boba at a discount from Gong Cha in Mira Mesa and sell it at school sporting events. They use those profits to buy children’s books and give them to K-12 graders in lower income areas. They've collected more than 600 books so far and have organized presentations for students.
“We’ve went to a local elementary school and presented to the fifth graders, helping them transition to middle school,” Mo said.
They wanted to take the idea beyond Westview and reached out to other schools across the nation. Now, Boba 4 Books exists in five schools, including one in Tennessee.
Mo and Huang say they want to continue this work in their college years.
