Georgia students create free tutoring site
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. - A group of high school juniors in Johns Creek have created a free virtual tutoring service that now helps hundreds of students across 20 states as far as California.
High school students need to fulfill volunteer hours and find effective study habits. A group of Northview High school students combined both needs and in less than a year, hundreds of students have benefited from their endeavors.
Education can get expensive.
"You might pay a tutor 50, 60 dollars an hour for tutoring," Paul Philip said.
That's why a group of students with extra time on their hands-- thanks to the pandemic-- made tutoring free and accessible.
Ingenify.org, which was coded entirely by 17-year-old Jatong Su, matches students to other student tutors.
"Around July 2020, I decided to work on the project because I wanted to create something that would help people during the pandemic," Su said.
He said he knew many students would be in need of volunteer hours and wouldn’t be able to tutor in person because of the pandemic. He also said students needed help with the new virtual learning.
None of the site's founders, or the tutors themselves, have high school diplomas, so their expertise has been questioned, but people talk-- especially when they're satisfied with a service.
"One of our tutors is from Texas. She says she found out about it because her mom heard about it in a group chat and we don’t know anyone from Texas," Philip laughed.
Tutors must have a 3.7 GPA or higher and prove they're capable of explaining clearly.
"During the interview process, we always have tutors explain concepts. We judge them based on that," Philip said.
In just two months, six students created the website that now helps Kindergarten through 12th graders in 20 states-- from Georgia to California.
"We reach out to schools in the area, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Fulton. A lot of people find out about it through their school," Philip said.
Most tutors hear about the site through volunteer programs, but the site’s founders say the majority have established connections with their peers and go on the tutor above and beyond their required volunteer hours.
Su and Philip vowed the website will always be free.
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