Press Release
Date: June 19, 2023
Iridium Tutoring, Ltd., founded by high schoolers in Massachusetts, becomes three years old and reaches 10,000 sessions and 15,000 hours of free tutoring internationally.
Parents seek one-to-one online educational support.
Boston: IRIDIUM Tutoring is a charitable 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization that provides free, unlimited, and personalized virtual tutoring sessions.
Founded in June of 2020 by high schoolers Gracie Sheng and Charles Tang of Northborough and Southborough, Iridium has reached 15,000 hours of instruction to 500+ students in the Greater Boston Area and surrounding areas.
Their team of 150+ volunteers comes from prestigious institutes such as Harvard University, Brown, Carnegie Mellon University, New York University, Union College, Northeastern University, Northwestern University, Boston University, UMass Amherst, Boston College, Mass Academy, Boston Latin School.
Due to the reduction of school hours and the transition between remote and in-person learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, parents have begun to recognize the relevance of programs like Iridium.
Parent Yong Tan of Northborough says, “Generally, [my children] still can spend 30 mins a day doing some workbook problems, but it is very challenging for them to balance the screen time, study, and to keep them entertained.
I like [Iridium Tutoring] because it is not a typical teacher and student model - it is more like someone who is close to my kids' age hanging out with them and [teaching them] meaningful things. At the same time, it frees up [parents’] time.”
“To reach 10,000 hours is very exciting for us.
The pandemic has given Iridium the cause of softening educational disparities, and we hope to expand our services, welcoming new students and volunteers throughout the coming years,” says co-founder Gracie Sheng.
Furthermore, Iridium works to inspire today's youth in making impacts on their communities and to encourage students to take pride in their progress.
Over the course of 2021 and 2022, Iridium Tutoring has been hosting free introductory computer science events in the Worcester County region, supporting over a hundred students in advancing their computer literacy. In the coming year, Iridium plans to host several introductory robotics events using the Wonder Dash block-coding program.
The program offers free learning opportunities for anyone grades K-12 on all curricular subjects: Math, Science, English, Social Studies, Foreign Language, Test Prep, College Prep, as well as Competition Math and Programming. Additional information can be found on our website here.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
- Iridium Tutoring received a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the IRS on November 25, 2020
- Iridium would like to thank Avidia Bank, Main Street Bank, Middlesex Savings Bank, Hanover Insurance, Greater Worcester Community Foundation, DCU for Kids, and the Red Sox Foundation for their immeasurable support.
- They have also recently hosted a College Applications, College Life, and College List Webinar with over 100 attendees and speakers from Brown, CMU, Northeastern, Union College, etc.
- The current directors are Charles Tang, Kevin Yao, and Runze Zhang are currently students at Mass Academy, Algonquin Regional High School, and Shrewsbury High School, respectively.