EduMate NYC was founded by a team of college students who are all proud graduates of NYC public schools. Representing the country’s largest U.S. school district, the NYC public school system is unique in its size and diversity: According to data from the city’s Department of Education, out of its more than 1.1 million students, around 819,000 or 73% are counted as “poor,” meaning that their families have qualified for free or reduced price lunch, or are eligible for Human Resources Administration (HRA) benefits. Already, this system requires an immense amount of resources to maintain. After the spread of the coronavirus pandemic forced the closure of NYC public schools for in-person learning, our team was passionate about helping out our younger peers to close any gaps left by their transition to digital learning. Not only can digital learning be incredibly difficult for students, but it can also be quite taxing on parents who are suddenly expected to help supplement their children’s education. Low-income students and their families are burdened disproportionately as a result. For this reason, we decided to create a system of virtual volunteer tutoring for NYC public school students in grades K-12. Our tutors are volunteer college students who can provide tutoring over video services and phone calls, based on what students are able to access. We believe strongly that every K-12 student deserves the equal opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive as a member of our community. We offer tutoring in all classic school subjects, standardized test prep, and guidance on the college application and essay-writing process. This service is open to all NYC public school students, although we will prioritize matching those who are on free and reduced price meal programs. Our tutors attend institutions such as Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Northwestern, Georgetown, Vassar, Williams, Middlebury, Wesleyan, Emory, SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Binghamton, CUNY Hunter, CUNY Baruch, and more.