Find Your Focus
Kristin ’88 and Jeff Worthe ’89 help teens take charge of their attention
"How can we stay focused in this world of constant distraction?”
That’s the question posed by the introductory lesson of Finding Focus, a mobile and browser app developed through the Mindful Education Initiative of UC Santa Barbara’s Center for Mindfulness and Human Potential. For Jeff ’89 and Kristin Worthe ’88, this initiative aligned with their desire to help students navigate the challenges of today’s world.
“We’ve supported mental health initiatives at other universities, but this is unique because it targets high school students, offering tools to help them become more present and compassionate,” said Jeff. “Imagine getting to students four years earlier, before freshman year: that will make a difference.”
In 2016, UC Santa Barbara established the Center for Mindfulness and Human Potential, an interdisciplinary research center based in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. Its central project is the Mindful Education Initiative, which aims to provide every high school student — regardless of location or resources — with evidence-based mindfulness training that empowers them to better understand and care for their minds. Researchers from UC Santa Barbara and the University of Texas at Austin collaborated to create Finding Focus, made possible by private philanthropy and funding from the U.S. Department of Education.
The center’s team uses ongoing research findings and student feedback to refine Finding Focus tools. Finding Focus coursework introduces lifelong skills through lessons and exercises. Students can also use a tool called “Focus Coach,” which chimes intermittently while a student works to prompt a moment of reflection and accountability.
The Worthes’ early support of this program empowered the research, iteration and early testing of the core curriculum. Their renewed investment will continue to scale the program’s reach.
“Jeff and Kristen Worthe's philanthropic support has been vital to the success of Finding Focus. It has provided a continuity of funding that was pivotal to winning a second major federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Their contribution has also allowed us to expand the tool’s capabilities in countless ways, significantly enhancing its benefits for students and educators. Thanks to this progress, we were recently approached by a new partner, CATCH Global, that is eager to scale Finding Focus to reach millions of students nationwide and across the globe. None of this would have been possible without Jeff and Kristen’s support, for which we are endlessly grateful,” said Jonathan Schooler, director of the Center for Mindfulness and Human Potential.
“We were just taken by the possibilities,” Kristin said. "It was an incredible opportunity to support the university and the children who are struggling in so many different ways.”
Since its launch in 2016, Finding Focus has reached over 22,000 students in more than 100 schools. Evaluation shows that students who completed the program experienced improvements in focus, stress management and emotional regulation.
“I've never been able to sit and read a book, but since starting Finding Focus, I've read 11 books,” said an eleventh-grader in San Luis Obispo.
As parents to two daughters, Jeff and Kristin agree that the trials of young adulthood have intensified in an overconnected and overstimulating world. UC Santa Barbara helped each of them find themselves — and each other. The Worthes have been married for 31 years and share a desire to uplift their community.
“That's how we look at this life. It's just about supporting one another in this journey,” said Kristin.
Published November 2024
We’ve supported mental health initiatives at other universities, but this is unique because it targets high school students, offering tools to help them become more present and compassionate. Imagine getting to students four years earlier, before freshman year: that will make a difference.
Jeff Worthe '89
