Kaitlyn Mason | Web Managing Editor

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With schools going online, many students find that they’re struggling to keep up in coursework or simply to learn via the Internet. With covidtutor.live, juniors Jason Le and Sriya Koganti have started to help struggling students learn and others gain volunteer hours, with the assistance of another high school student in New Jersey named Steven.

“I met Steven on Reddit after he posted his idea for a peer-to-peer tutoring network,” said Le. “After I reached out, we began to build the platform to what it is today.”

The network has over 120 students signed up with 90 tutors available to help. Le said those tutors include Ivy League students, a former teacher, and even a neurologist.

“The tutoring is for any subject, whether it be an AP class or other standardized tests like the SAT or ACT,” said Le.

When the team receives a student’s request for help, they search for a tutor who marked their expertise in the subject. With the use of Discord and email, the tutors and students can arrange a time that works for them, said Le.

“Tutors can log their volunteer hours at the end of the week after meeting and helping students,” said Le.

The website, said Le, wasn’t necessarily difficult to put into place. With a day or two of learning HTML code, Le was able to put together the website he and his partner, Steven, had envisioned.

“To date, we have yet to put a single penny into this project, with the website domain, student outreach, and other necessities not costing us a dime,” said Le.

As the demand on the website grew, Koganti joined the team and now helps keep everything up and running while encouraging more students to join as tutors.

“If you are excelling in your classes and are bored or want to make a difference in kids’ lives, sign up,” said Koganti. “Or, if you are seeking help of any kind, sign up!”

Covidtutor.live has three partners who help with the website. The partners include Elevate Learning, Jumpstart, and New Life Volunteer Society. These organizations help provide more tutors and resources for the students.

“The partnerships reached out to us via email,” said Koganti. 

Senior Prabhvir Lakhan is one of the many tutors on the site after a friend asked if he was willing to join.

“I have tutored two students,” said Lakhan. “So far, in ACT and SAT preparation.”

Lakhan said he recommends for other Avon students to try out covidtutor.live. With online learning, not every student can continue to learn in the ways that work the best for them.

“While this isn’t a perfect replacement [to school], it’s a very good replacement, and it can allow you to get the help you need,” said Lakhan.